


Cookie

by Lizzie_Tempest



Series: T-shirts [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, Asshole Sans, Bara Sans, Cuddling & Snuggling, Depressed Sans, F/M, Female Reader, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, I'm Bad At Tagging, Muffet is a good friend, OC Liam, OC Maya, POV Third Person, Protective Sans, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader Needs a Hug, Reader has a green SOUL, Reader is a Sweetheart, Sans Has Issues, Sans Needs A Hug, Tags Are Hard, Underfell Sans, funny t-shirts, holy shit this got dark fast
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-01-18 08:35:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 71,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12384657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizzie_Tempest/pseuds/Lizzie_Tempest
Summary: Sans isn't the biggest fan of humans.A chance encounter makes him think that maybe they're not all bad.I suck at summaries T_T





	1. Cookie

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my very first fanfiction for Undertale. 
> 
> This just so happened to be the first thing that popped into my head when I decided I wanted to write fanfics for Undertale. I haven't written anything in a while, so I really hope people like it. I have some other ideas that could be a continuation of this but I want to see if people like this one first. 
> 
> I didn't really describe Reader because it's a Reader-insert. I'm not very confident at writing in the same way that most Sans/Reader fics are written. So until I feel confident, anything I write may be like this.
> 
> Enjoy I guess! xD
> 
> P.S. the t-shirt is real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans isn't the biggest fan of humans.
> 
> A chance encounter makes him think that maybe they're not all bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my very first fanfiction for Undertale.
> 
> This just so happened to be the first thing that popped into my head when I decided I wanted to write fanfics for Undertale. I haven't written anything in a while, so I really hope people like it. I have some other ideas that could be a continuation of this but I want to see if people like this one first.
> 
> I didn't really describe Reader because it's a Reader-insert. I'm not very confident at writing in the same way that most Sans/Reader fics are written. So until I feel confident, anything I write may be like this.
> 
> Enjoy I guess! xD
> 
> P.S. the t-shirt is real

Sans didn't quite know what to make of the Surface.  It just...wasn't what he thought it would be.

 

It wasn't that he had a problem with humans.  He didn't have a problem with Frisk.  He couldn't deny that he cared about the kid.  He just happened to hate the rest of humanity with a terrifying vengeance.  It probably didn't help that the vast majority (about 99%) of humans seemed to hate monsters from the very moment that they had appeared from the mountain.

 

Monsters didn't even have to be doing anything, and they would get glares sent in their direction.  Now considering that monsters had magic and they looked quite intimidating, no one could really blame them at first.  So Sans, like every other monster, had refrained from committing any violence and waited for humans to get the idea that they didn't want to kill them (anymore).

 

Days turned to weeks.  Weeks into months.  And with each hate crime against monsters that went ignored by the human police, Sans grew less patient.  It was a wonder that Undyne hadn't lost her temper yet.  Then again, there were a few humans who had gone missing lately....The skeleton almost hoped that the short-tempered fish woman had nothing to do with it.  It wouldn't exactly be a surprise if she had kidnapped random humans and taken them to Alphys in secret.  The crazy scientist would do anything to conduct some experiment on a load of humans.

 

So for each human that would glare at Sans, the skeleton would send a scowl to five.  If he was in a particularly bad mood, which he often was, then he would snarl and growl at them too, making sure to show off his razor sharp teeth.  That usually did the trick and would send humans practically running.  As for the racist comments...well.  He wasn't exactly known for being forgiving in the Underground.

 

Sans thought of the time when he had taken Frisk to a diner for lunch.  The two had just sat down in a booth with some ice cream when some asshole walked up to them, shouting about Sans being the devil incarnate who stole kids to eat them.  Before the cocky college kid could even finish what he had been yelling at Sans, the skeleton had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him up against the wall, left eye flickering dangerously as his magic sparked in anger.  He would've beaten the hell out of that little shit if it wasn't for Frisk.  Toriel would've dusted him if he'd done anything serious in front of the kid.

 

Frisk had tried to get him to be nice.  Emphasis on _tried_.  They'd tried explaining why he had to be patient, why he had to keep hold of his temper.  They had used the puppy dog eyes, the pout (complete with wobbling lip) and even tried to stage an intervention of sorts involving Papyrus and Toriel.  He grimaced as he thought back to that.

 

_The kid had tugged him into their house with the promise of violent video games and food.  Two things that he did like about the Surface was the food and the insanely violent video games.  Instead, he had been greeted with a stern looking Toriel, crazed yellow eyes piercing into him.  Sans had been instantly on edge; everyone always had to walk on eggshells around the former queen, and Sans was no different.  Then his attention turned to the other monster seated on the couch, and he felt his non-existent stomach churn._

 

_Papyrus was the one monster that he feared in the Underground.  Since the barrier had broken, the two had been working on their...well, they'd been trying to get along more.  It hadn't been going well.  And judging by the scowl placed on the taller skeleton's skull, Sans had a feeling that he would be nursing more than just wounded pride later on._ _He'd guessed correctly, and the argument that followed between the two brothers resulted in Sans stumbling into Grillby's new bar while nursing a new crack in his skull.  He'd spent the rest of the night slumped on a bar stool while chugging endless amounts of mustard and whiskey_.

 

The skeleton monster grumbled to himself and shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket.  Autumn had just arrived, and even though he couldn't feel the cold, he couldn't help but snicker at anyone who looked at the faux fur lining the hood in envy.  And of course, he was too busy snickering to himself about the unfortunate humans and monsters suffering from the cold wind (he wasn't feeling generous towards anyone today) that he was almost surprised when he felt something bump into him.

 

Sans blinked.  What in the actual fuck?  If he hadn't known for certain that something had bumped into him, he would've presumed he had imagined it.  He hardly felt anything.  Then again, he was pretty big boned (heh).

 

Finally looking down towards the ground in front of him, Sans couldn't help the scowl that formed as he glared down at the poor offending human that had crossed his path.  A few moments passed before Sans realized that the human, a young woman, wasn't getting the hint.

 

She had fallen onto her backside and was clutching a brown paper bag in one hand.  The other hand was tugging on the strap of the bag that hung off of her shoulder as she blinked up at Sans owlishly.  She didn't seem frightened.  The more she stared at him though, the more he could feel himself getting annoyed.  He let his magic spark around his phalanges aggressively, making sure the human saw so that she could hopefully realize that he wouldn't exactly regret using it.  He wasn't going to use his magic, but she didn't have to know that.

 

The woman continued to stare, tugging on the bag nervously while doing so.

 

"are ya just gonna sit there like an idiot?  or are ya gonna fuckin' move?"

 

There were a few more seconds of silence between the two.  A few other humans and monsters had stopped what they were doing.  The monsters started whispering amongst themselves; they knew too well what could happen if anyone pissed off Sans.

 

The human finally stood up ( _is she really an adult? or is she just really short?!_ ) and reached into the paper bag.  When she found what she was looking for, she pulled her hand back out and held it towards him.

 

"Cookie?"

 

Her voice was soft and quiet, but with a sort of confidence you expected to hear in a teacher addressing their class.  The woman's question and the fact that she was actually holding a cookie out towards him, expecting him to take it, caused Sans to disperse his magic in bewilderment.

 

The humans and monsters watching held their breath.

 

Sans glanced at the girl in front of him.  Then to the cookie.  Then her eyes, that were really quite pretty in the setting sun ( _wait, what?!_ ), back to the cookie.  The small smile that graced her face was genuine.  The cookie.  Her soul.  Oh stars.  Her soul was green.  Green for kindness.  And not a speck of malice in it.  A few threads of patience, but most definitely not evil in any way.  Then he spotted her t-shirt.

 

It was just a t-shirt, and so looking back he couldn't really recall what it was about it that made him laugh.  The goofy looking monster on it holding a plate of cookies, or the fact that she was holding a cookie out for him to take.  No, that wasn't it.  What made him laugh was the combination of her giving him the cookie along with what it said on the t-shirt.  He just couldn't help but double over laughing, causing the young woman to grin triumphantly as the humans and monsters around them watched, completely baffled.

 

**_Come to the dark side. We have cookies._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ!!!
> 
> Hi guys! I know you're all waiting for new chapters so I thought I'd offer up a quick explanation as to what will be going on. I have a beta reader now and we're just going through all of the chapters so far, making corrections and other general things that betas do. Her name is ariinya14, and she has been so helpful and is really just an awesome person. 
> 
> So if the story updates but there aren't any new chapters that you can see, it'll be because of that. We'll be doing the same with Sugar Cookie I think ^^
> 
> Come speak to me on tumblr!  
> https://lizzie-tempest.tumblr.com/


	2. This is awkward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you don't know you've fucked up until someone tells you. This is most definitely the case with Sans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If some of the characters are OOC, I'm so sorry. This is only my second Undertale fanfic. Still trying to get used to it xD
> 
> T-shirt from the first part: https://trickovy.cz/385-come-to-the-dark-side-we-have-cookies.html  
> T-shirt from this part: https://cdn1.thehunt.com/app/public/system/note_images/2253844/note_view/add3bfaecd0908eeeb57e7901dda5aca.jpg

Sans regretted not asking for her name.

 

He cursed as he once again glanced around the park.  Since that first meeting with the human girl he had bumped into (and eating the cookie she had offered him), Sans had found himself unable to stop thinking about her.  And it was driving him insane.

 

Of course, if he had been any normal person then after taking the cookie, he would've struck up some kind of conversation.  He would've asked for her name, offered his own, told a pun or two.  She would've laughed, he would've laughed too.  He'd ask her out and then they'd walk off into the sunset, back to his house and have the most amazing sex she had ever experienced.

 

What?  Some humans were into kinky shit like that, and he was willing to try anything.

 

Okay, so it most likely wouldn't have gone like that.  No.  Scratch that.  Even he wasn't that idealistic.  Still a nice thought though.

 

No, Sans actually found himself cringing at what had actually happened.  The girl had offered him the cookie.  After looking at her t-shirt, he had burst out laughing which had startled those who had stopped to watch the interaction.  He had then taken the cookie, eaten it and then walked off towards Grillby's, still laughing hysterically.  If he had glanced behind him then he would have seen the girl's slightly bewildered look.  If he had stayed longer then he would've watched as the people watching began to stare at her, and she wilted into herself before storming off in a different direction.

 

The only reason Sans found out about this was because he was stopped by Bratty and Catty the next day.  They'd told him what had happened, and how her soul had dimmed and then proceeded to say "You're like, the biggest asshole ever Sans." "Like, the biggest.".  Which made him feel....guilty.  That NEVER happened.  The feeling worsened when he turned back to his friends.

 

Undyne and Alphys seemed shocked.  It turned out that they weren't the ones behind the missing humans.  The real (human) culprit was now behind bars.  Toriel was shaking her head, disapproval coming off her in waves.  Papyrus was furious; he could anticipate the beating that awaited him when they got home, and Frisk.... _oh kid, don't look at me like that..._

 

Frisk was disappointed.  To say the least.  They tugged their hand out of his giant bony one and tugged their mother in the direction of home.  They never did get to the arcade.  The rest of their friends followed silently, and Sans knew then that he had to find the girl and apologize.  He hadn't meant to come across as the biggest asshole in existence.  He just...he didn't know how to handle people being nice to him while wearing something that appealed to his sense of humor.  A bit specific but true.

 

The first place he tried to look was the park.  Whenever Sans lost stuff in the past, he always looked in the last place he had been.  It was a tried and tested method, for fuck's sake!  So by that logic, if he'd met her here once, then she was bound to show up again.  So he had waited in the park until sunset had arrived.

 

The sun started to set.  The sky started turning beautiful colors of orange and pale pink, even lavender in some parts.  Sans glanced around the park.  There were a few people passing through on their way home from work.  Mothers called for their children to hurry up as they climbed down from the climbing frame and jumped off swings.

 

The park was empty now.  The sky started changing to navy.  Stars blinked into existence one by one as Sans shifted nervously on the bench.  He checked his watch.  Three hours.  He'd been sat there for about three hours.  He groaned and ran his hand over his skull.

 

He waited some more.  He felt his phone buzzing and rolled his eyelights.  Without even bothering to check who was calling, he answered....and instantly regretted yet another decision.

 

"SANS!  YOU PATHETIC WHELP!  WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

 

Ah good old Papyrus.  The skeleton's younger brother always knew what to say to make someone feel better.

 

"hey boss, just hanging out at the park.  no lines for the swings right now.  it's a real _swinging_ joint.  heh."

 

"JUST GET THE FUCK BACK HERE NOW, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING CRETIN!"

 

Huh.  He hung up.  He must be in a good mood.  Sans chuckled to himself before forcing himself to stop.  He looked out towards the empty park again.  There was no one at the entrance, no one walking the paths.  He grumbled to himself and cursed once again.  He should've known it wouldn't be that easy.  With that last thought Sans teleported back to his home, preparing for the inevitable yelling that would come from Papyrus.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The next few weeks passed in a blur.  Sans would help Frisk and the others try and convince humans that they didn't want to eat anyone's soul during the day.  When the evening rolled by he would go back to the park and sit on the same bench as the first time.  He would wait there as patiently as he could (while trying to look like he wasn't doing anything suspicious like kidnap children).  Once night would fall, he would watch the stars for a little while before returning home, having failed to find the girl once again.

 

His new little routine didn't fail to attract the attention of his friends.  Undyne and Alphys had followed him once and were convinced that he would pick up on their presence.  He always had in the past.  But they were determined to find out the cause of this new routine.  Mostly because Papyrus had threatened them into doing so.

 

The couple were somewhat surprised when Sans didn't pick up on their presence.  Either he didn't care about them being there (which was strange), or he was too distracted to acknowledge them (which was also strange).  Judging by his actions at the park it was probably the latter.  Although the girls did wonder what had Sans so distracted and glancing around as if he was on his first date with a girl.  Which was definitely not true.  Everyone in the Underground knew how much of a ladies' man Sans was.

 

So to see him so nervous about something made both Undyne and Alphys cackle maniacally as they ran back to report to Papyrus.  The following argument between Sans and his brother caused any monster that happened to be passing the house to pass quickly.  They didn't want to risk the wrath of the Skeleton Brothers.  Doing so would be a deadly mistake if the razor-sharp bones flying out the house were any indication.

 

On a day when Sans' patience had been wearing thin, Undyne found him slumped over at the bar in Grillby's while nursing a bottle of mustard and grumbling to himself pathetically.  She rolled her eye and sat next to him.  If she was going to find out anything about his strange new habit then she might as well try and help the idiot.

 

"Dude, what are you doing."

 

It was more of a statement than a question.  And at this point, Sans couldn't be bothered coming up with excuses and lies.  He turned his head towards her slowly.  Undyne raised an eyebrow.

 

"i'm drinkin'.  what's it look like?"

 

Undyne scoffed and looked at him skeptically.  The skeleton next to her groaned in annoyance.  He knew that she knew that he was bullshitting.  Welp, might as well get this over with.  Farewell asshole reputation; thee served him well.

 

He took a deep breath.

 

"you know how i was an asshole to some girl a few weeks ago?"

 

Undyne looked confused but nodded.  She turned to Grillby behind the bar and ordered a vodka.  The purple fire elemental nodded and quickly poured the drink before going to serve another customer.  The fish monster gulped down some of her drink and silently motioned for Sans to continue.

 

"well, er.  the thing is....i didn't mean to actually be an asshole."

 

Undyne had been in the middle of taking another drink when she put two and two together and spluttered and coughed at Sans' admission.  The skeleton started sweating a little as monsters around the bar looked over at them, waving the questioning looks off as he lightly patted her on the back.  As soon as she regained her composure however, she started cackling.  Sans felt his magic turn his skull red as he pulled his hood up in embarrassment.

 

"Wait wait, you mean to tell me that this whole time, you've been trying to track down some human girl?!  To apologize?!"

 

Sans turned even more red and slammed his skull down on the bar.  Undyne laughed even more and even Grillby chuckled at the skeleton.  It was quite laughable.  Sans the skeleton; the one monster who hated all humans besides Frisk, was trying to find a girl in order to apologize for being an asshole.

 

When Undyne's laughter finally died down and she wiped a tear from her eye, Sans explained what had actually happened and why he had reacted the way he did.  He also then went on to explain his less than successful plan to find her.

 

"You've only been looking in one place haven't you."

 

If the skeleton before her could look any more sheepish, Undyne probably would've laughed more.  But at the end of the day, Sans was her friend.  Not a close friend, but still a friend.  Her friend had a problem that he definitely needed help with.  And she couldn't knowingly let him fuck this up.  She wasn't that cold-hearted.

 

"Try looking in places where she might go, you moron."

 

The fish monster didn't allow him to respond.  She chugged the rest of her drink and made her way out of the bar, leaving a blushing Sans banging his skull on the bar top and wondering why he didn't think of that earlier.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The next day Sans was much more determined than he had been in a while.  He'd stayed up most of the night trying to remember the day he had met the girl; trying to recall every little detail so that he could come up with possible places to try looking besides the park.  He'd come up with two.  It wasn't a lot.  In fact he was rather disappointed in himself.  But it was better than nothing and he was willing to try anything at this point.

 

The first place he decided to try was Muffet's bakery.

 

It was the most obvious place he could think of.  When he had bumped into her, she'd been holding a bag of cookies.  Cookies which were in a nice little brown paper bag with a very familiar logo on.  So it made sense that he would try there first.  If she'd been to the bakery once then surely she would go there again. Right?

 

So on entering the bakery, nearly stepping on a spider, cursing up a storm and nearly taking out the stupid little bell attached to the door, he sauntered up to the spider monster at the counter.  Muffet would definitely know the girl.  She always remembered valued customers.  If that customer happened to be human then this would be easy.

 

Sans wasn't in luck.

 

Oh, Muffet knew the girl alright (she was a regular).  As such, the spider monster had grown quite close to the human.  And on seeing her new human friend's less than cheery disposition one day, Muffet had sat her down and pried the details from the poor girl.  It helped that she had bribed her with cake.  To say that Muffet was displeased was an understatement.

 

Muffet had glared at Sans when he asked about her friend.  She refused to give the skeleton a name or ideas on where the human could be.  Instead, she had threatened to set her pet on him.  Sans didn't quite like the idea of being picked apart by a giant animated cupcake with legs and teeth.  So he made sure to teleport before Muffet followed through with her threat.

 

The only other place he could think of trying was the old shop Gerson had set up.  It was a long shot, really.  He just remembered the girl's bag looking like something Gerson would have in his shop.  It...well, all he could remember was that it had a weird looking owl on it.  Still, it was worth a try.

 

Sans wasn't expecting anything really.  At most, maybe she had stepped in there once.  But with the old turtle monster's memory being shaky at the best of times, he wasn't expecting anything concrete.

 

Imagine his surprise when he stepped inside.

 

There she was.  The very girl he had been looking for all this time.  He sighed in relief at having found her.  That was until he realized the situation.

 

She still had that same weird owl bag.  She was still tugging nervously on the strap.  In her other hand was some kind of notebook or sketchbook and a few pencils.  She was blinking quite a few times, as if willing tears away, and she bit her bottom lip to stop it wobbling.

 

The reason for this was Gerson.  The cantankerous old turtle was waving a fist at her while leaning on his cane.  He was going on and on about how he'd never been so insulted in all his life.  Sans raised a brow bone at this.  Surely this human girl, who had not an ounce of cruelty in her, could not have purposely insulted Gerson.

 

The poor girl looked equally as confused as she looked upset.  In fact, she seemed to be genuinely distressed at the thought that she had unintentionally insulted someone.

 

"I-I'm sorry, I-um...I didn't mean to offend-"

 

Sans had seen enough.

 

"there a problem here?"

 

The two both turned towards him.  Gerson looked just as grumpy as always.  The girl, he could almost feel her soul shaking.  She was afraid and upset.  She'd averted her eyes, looking at the floor.  He recognized the look on her face.  He used to wear it himself in the Underground.  She looked so much smaller, defeated...

 

"Look at what this human is wearin'!"

 

Gerson's voice brought him back from his thoughts.  The skeleton raised his brow bone once again.  What was wrong with what she was wearing?  She was just wearing jeans and a pink t-shirt, a small denim jacket over the top.  It's not like she was dressed like a slut or anything.

 

He looked back at the old turtle monster, about to ask that very question.  The old monster seemed to anticipate his query however and scoffed while rolling his eyes, pointing towards her t-shirt yet again.  Sans looked back at the girl.  Her cheeks had flushed bright red in embarrassment (heh, cute).  His eyelights lowered to the t-shirt, and he grinned wickedly.

 

Oh, stars.  This girl was going to be the death of him.  This could not be any funnier.

 

The very thing that had "offended" Gerson so much was the picture of the cartoon turtle on the shirt.  The cutesy little thing was stuck on its back, a speech bubble above reading "Well, this is awkward".

 

Despite the fact that laughing hysterically had been the very thing that had gotten him into this situation, Sans couldn't help but laugh hysterically.  Again.  He actually had red tears streaming down his cheeks.  This was just too good.

 

He finally looked back at the two and almost started laughing again.  The girl looked even more embarrassed, practically on the verge of tears.  Gerson just looked pissed off.

 

"alright, how's about this?  i'll pay for whatever she's buyin'.  and in future, i'll personally make sure that she won't wear this shirt in front of ya again."

 

Sans turned his shit-eating grin towards the girl as Gerson grumbled in agreement.  She mouthed a "Thank you" and started to smile back shyly.  He winked, causing her to grin back at him.  Gerson handed her the items and she hurriedly placed them in the bag, rushing out of the shop with the skeleton close behind.

 

The second the two were outside, they both glanced at each other and burst out laughing.  Gods he loved her laugh.  It was so much better than seeing her cry.  When they'd finally calmed down enough to start walking, the girl looked at Sans and held out her hand.

 

"After that, I think it's only fair we introduce ourselves.  I'm (y/n)."

 

Sans' grin widened as he placed his bony hand in her abnormally small one.

 

"sans. sans the skeleton."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'll die a little if I actually find there was an easier way to converge all the chapters (this is what happens when you're too embarrassed to ask for help at the risk of sounding like an idiot). Ah well, better now than 10 or 20 chapters in, right? T_T


	3. Mischief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader has an idea to spend time with Sans

"ya wanna what?"

 

Sans and (y/n) were sat at a table in Muffet's bakery, the smell of cakes and pastries lingering in the air.  She'd insisted on going there, he didn't think anything of it because (y/n) and Muffet were good friends.  She had wanted to meet because she "had a proposal for him", whatever that meant.  Sans looked at the human across from him, who was grinning widely.  He raised a brow bone.  He shook his head, not quite believing what (y/n) had said and chuckled darkly.

 

"no offense sweetheart, but ya don't seem like the type."

 

(Y/n) pouted.

 

The two had become rather unlikely friends in the short amount of time they'd known each other.  It had only been two weeks since they had properly introduced each other and even longer since they first met.  But Sans had found himself actually looking forward to his new friend's texts.  They were funny!  It wasn't just the jokes; it was the way she worded things.  He would've found it annoying if it were anyone else, but with her?  It was...endearing.  Okay, that was putting it gently.  It was pretty cute.

 

Of course, pairing all of this with her big (quite pretty) eyes, funny t-shirts, and kind soul, you had a class A combination for someone radiating innocence and purity...according to Sans.  Not that he'd told anyone this (Grillby, Undyne, Alphys, Frisk, or Toriel to name a few).  No, he wasn't obsessed.  He liked her companionship.  That's it.  That's all it was.  That's his story, and he's sticking to it.

 

So for this innocent little ray of sunshine sitting in front of him to come out with such a request...Well, he couldn't help but be taken aback.  Sans would've never expected this from her, of all people.

 

"Please?" she practically begged.  Oh, no.  Her bottom lip was wobbling.  He'd accidentally let it slip that Frisk could get him to do almost anything with that, and now he regretted telling her that.  Sure, (y/n) had found it cute at the time (and the sound of the quiet giggle that escaped her had caused his soul to thump erratically), but she was now using it against him.

 

Sans groaned.  He didn't want to fuck this friendship up.  He didn't want to get her into any trouble.  He'd already told her this!  This girl was not shifting.  She was near as determined as Frisk.  She was definitely going to be the death of him.  And that terrified him.

 

The skeleton ran his hand over his skull before glancing back at his friend.  She was really laying it on thick.  With the long, fluttering lashes, pouty face (that puffed out her cheeks so much he wanted to pinch them because she looked too cute).  He began to protest again, but she grabbed his hand in both of her small ones.  How could her hands be so small?  Was she eating enough?  He made a mental note to ask her at a later date.

 

"Pretty please, Sans?  I've never done anything like this before, I've always been too nervous to." (y/n) looked down towards the floor and then looked back up at him, smiling in that shy little way that for some reason made his soul flutter in a way he couldn't quite explain.  He could feel his self-control slowly crumbling.  But he held on.  He could resist.

 

"I'm still kinda nervous.  But I know that you'll take care of me..." she trailed off.

 

Sans practically gaped, and his eyelights shrank to pinpricks.  Fuck.  If this woman had been in the Underground, she would've been fucking lethal in interrogations.  He was pretty certain that she knew she was manipulating him...and she knew it was working.  So much for sweet and innocent.

 

He caved.

 

"fine."

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"are ya absolutely sure ya wanna go through with this?"

 

The two were sat on his bed.  He'd waited until Papyrus was asleep before bringing her back to his room.  (Y/n) had brought a backpack filled with what she'd deemed necessary for the night.  Sans wasn't nervous.  He'd done this kind of thing all the time.  But (y/n) hadn't.  She was new to this.  And he couldn't help but be nervous for her sake and for the sake of their friendship.  What if they got caught?  Would she blame him?  Would she never speak to him again?  Sans almost shuddered.  He didn't want to think about that.

 

He was brought back from his thoughts when his friend spoke.

 

"I already told you, Sans.  I trust you to look out for me."

 

He sighed.  He'd been such a bad influence in such a short amount of time.

 

"But...."

 

Sans looked back at (y/n).  He threw a questioning look in her direction.

 

"Maybe we should leave out all this stuff after all..."

 

Sans' jaw almost dropped open as he stared at the girl in front of him.  His eyes blinked closed as he pinched his nasal cavity, trying not to laugh.

 

"(y/n), sweetheart, you were the one who brought all this.  hell, you even suggested this!  ya can't back out now!"

 

He was trying so hard not to laugh.  He really was.  But she was making it so hard.  Sans could tell that she was trying to be badass.  But when her version of badass included throwing toilet paper at random houses the night before Halloween because of some holiday called Mischief Night and then she started to back out, well, he couldn't help the undignified snort followed by the bellowing laughter.

 

To be honest, he was actually pleasantly surprised at the idea of throwing eggs and TPing houses all for the sake of a holiday the humans celebrated.  He still thought it was an odd suggestion coming from (y/n), but he wasn't going to complain.  He was excited when (y/n) explained it all to him!  And then she toned it down by saying she just wanted to do the TPing.  And he could've still done that!  Sans would've lamented the fact that he was slowly corrupting this innocent human at first.  But he would've gotten over it.  He should've known that she was too kind for mischief.

 

(Y/n) flushed, although whether it was from anger or embarrassment, he couldn't quite tell.  He didn't care either way.  It just made him laugh even more.  When her blush had crept down her neck and reached the very tip of her ears, Sans wiped the lone tear that had threatened to fall from his eye socket and managed to regain his composure.

 

"hehe.  okay.  so no toilet paper.  ya wanna do somethin' else then?"

 

She shook her head.

 

"No.  I still wanna prank houses.  But maybe instead of TPing a few houses, we could maybe...just...knock and run?"

 

He stared at her.  Knock and run?  Was she serious?  She had to be joking right?  There was no way that...Nope.  She was serious.

 

Oh no.  She was looking at him with such a hopeful look in her big eyes and a cute little nervous smile on her face again.  This was not good.  That face was exactly what got him to agree to this in the first place.  The t-shirt that she was wearing with some old human queen on it saying "We are not amused" was just contributing to the innocent look.  What concerned Sans most of all, was that unlike his earlier suspicions, (y/n) actually had no idea of the effect she was having on him.  Which made it all the more effective.  Such a vicious circle.

 

He ran his phalanges over his skull for what seemed the millionth time since he'd met this girl.

 

"ugh.  fine.  come on then.  let's go be mischievous by knockin' on peoples' doors."

 

Sans couldn't help the small amount of sarcasm that sneaked into his voice.

 

"Oh, but do you think we could avoid knocking on any houses with babies and small children?  I wouldn't want to wake them up at this hour, that would just be a terrible inconvenience to parents..."

 

Sans chuckled good-naturedly as he stood up.  (Y/n) stood as well and played with a thread that had come loose on her t-shirt.  She was way too kind for her own good.

 

"no problem, sweetheart."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, the two were going to go wild with the pranking. But then I thought "No. Something's not right" and after looking over both of the other stories, I couldn't just suddenly have her perfectly ok with pranking. She got upset when she accidentally offended Gerson!
> 
> T-shirt for this chapter is here: https://rlv.zcache.com/queen_victoria_we_are_not_amused_t_shirt-rc06c04f95cd441b1b9322490233b7421_k2gm8_540.jpg


	4. First Impressions (alternatively called something else but the author felt she needed to post something soon so she wouldn't disappoint anyone part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Play this song when Sans "opens the door". I am making this song, their song! I just am! It is canon now! xD 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFPMz36std4
> 
> Enjoy!

Sans was sat on his bed.  He hadn't left all day; he'd been much too busy texting his friend.

 

**12:03 pm *(xxx): wot u doin?**

 

If the text wasn't enough to elicit a response, then the terrible spelling would be.  He hadn't learned much about (y/n), they hadn't known each other that long.  But if there was one thing that he HAD managed to figure out about her, it was the fact that she was very...particular about grammar.  It was a cute little quirk, really.

 

His friend would listen and try to pay attention when he talked about science.  But he knew that was just her being polite.  The blank expression she would get on her face as she nodded along seriously when he started saying the most ridiculous stuff in a bid to catch her out was just adorable.  The second she saw a word misspelled, however, it was like trying to control a wild animal.  Sans had to drag her away from correcting a word on the posters inside a few stores as she ranted about correct grammar.  The skeleton had to teleport them both away in the end; he'd had to get them away before he could start laughing.  The fact that (y/n) didn't find it funny and was deadly serious just set him off even more.

 

What really amazed him, though was how she seemed to know how every word in existence was spelt.  He asked her a random general knowledge question once, genuinely wondering if she could answer.  She had frozen before turning red and muttering that she didn't know.  But if he asked her to spell the longest and most obscure word in the world, she'd be able to do so with no problem.

 

His phone buzzed, and Sans grinned.  He wondered what the response would be this time...

 

**12:07 pm *(Cookie Monster): Sans, we've been through this.  If you're going to text me, then use the correct grammar.  It really grinds my gears when you don't. ¬_¬**

 

Sans snorted.  "Grinds my gears"?  That's a new one.  Another thing he learned about (y/n) was that every now and then she would come out with some random phrase.  Some sounded weird even to humans, but to him?  It wasn't just hysterical.  It was new and exciting.  He found that he waited for what she would say with great anticipation.  It wasn't an obsession.

 

**12:08 pm *(xxx): Okay then.  Let me try that again.  What are you doing? xD**

 

He hated having to put capital letters at the beginning of sentences.  But to stop (y/n) from getting her feathers ruffled, he would do it.

 

Except she seemed to have anticipated what he would do.

 

**12:10 pm*(Cookie Monster): You don't need to text like that, Sans.  I know how much it annoys you.  Just use lowercase, like you usually do. :)**  

 

**12:10 pm *(xxx): thank fuck for that.**

 

...

 

Oh, shit.

 

**12:11 pm *(xxx): ignore that.  i won't cuss.**

 

**12:14 pm *(Cookie Monster): ...**

 

**12:15 pm * (Cookie Monster): Lmao.  Oh, god.  Have you been trying to control your cussing this whole time? XD**

 

Sans grinned.  The unofficial permission he needed to cuss in front of (y/n).  Now all he needed to do was show her his mustard drinking habit, take her to Grillby's, introduce her to his friends and brother...

 

Holy shit.  There was so much he needed to do.  No.  He didn't need to do it.  He wanted to.  Sans genuinely wanted to introduce (y/n) to his friends.  But he was scared.  He wasn't scared for them; Sans knew that they could handle themselves.  He was worried for (y/n).  She was way too kind and innocent.  She nearly cried when she saw Monster Kid step on a butterfly!

 

Frisk, Toriel and Flowey would welcome her with open arms.  The kid was just as kind as (y/n), they'd get on like a house on fire.  Flowey would adore her, he was a wimp and she loved flowers, anyway.  And Toriel would treat her like a daughter, while (Y/n) would treat the goat monster like a mother.

 

The others, however...They'd eat her alive.  If she was lucky.

 

The skeleton groaned.  He knew that he had to introduce (y/n) sooner or later.  The sooner, the better.  He would be there to make sure everything was fine.  Now he just had to figure out the how and when....Sans felt his eyelights wander to his Halloween costume.  Of course!

 

Sans sent a quick message to Toriel, asking if he could bring (y/n) along to meet them tonight.  He didn't even have to wait a whole minute before his phone pinged, signalling the response from the goat monster.  Sans grinned excitedly and sent one more text to his human friend.

 

**12:21 pm *(xxx): do you have any plans for tonight?**

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Sans paced nervously.  It was almost time for her to meet them at his house.  She would let him know if she was running late.  But what if something terrible had happened?  What if she had been attacked while walking over?!  Or raped and left for dead...bleeding out in some dark alley somewhere?!  His soul shuddered at that thought, and he nearly growled.  There was no way anyone was going to lay their filthy hands on HIS human.   _what?_

 

He sat down, trying not to let his imagination run away from him.  Papyrus and Toriel were setting up some food in the kitchen.  Everyone would be able to help themselves when they eventually got back.  Alphys was sat on the couch while Undyne and Frisk sat on the floor playing video games.  Flowey had been placed on the coffee table and was cheering for Frisk.

 

They were all dressed in costumes.  Toriel was a witch, with a dark purple pointy hat and matching dress.  Papyrus had been the one in charge of Sans' costume, so the both of them were dressed as mobsters.  Sans had to admit that he rather liked the fedora.  Undyne was in her old guard uniform and Alphys was dressed as some kind of cat person, complete with tail and pink poofy dress.  He was pretty certain that the two had those costumes on hand for when they're in the bedroom.

 

Frisk had wanted to dress as Batman and Flowey had wanted to match.  But they couldn't find a Batman costume that was small enough.  Frisk had taken it upon themself(?) to sew little fabric bat wings to some elastic, as well as a little mask.  It was a little rough around the edges, some parts being a little wonky.  But the flower had loved it all the same and had wasted no time in trying it on.  So there was a tiny Batman and a Flowerbat.  Sans had seen stranger things.

 

He had told (y/n) that they would be in costumes.  It was short notice, but she had reassured him that she could pull something together.  So needless to say, Sans was eagerly awaiting the moment his friend arrived.  She'd probably put on a gag costume, or something really cute.  Like a bunny.  Yeah, that sounded about right.

 

He was also dreading her arrival.  He was nervous about how everyone would react to her.  Would she fit in?

 

The skeleton checked the messages on his phone again.  The last message from her said that she was on her way.  In a bid to calm himself he looked back at the messages from earlier.  He had told (y/n) that after trick or treating the group would be going to a carnival.  After that, they would head back to his and Papyrus' house.  Frisk, Flowey and Toriel would be going home after the carnival.  Which left everyone else to have a movie night.  (Y/n) insisted on bringing the movies.  Sans couldn't bring himself to say no.  Even if it meant he'd be stuck watching some romance or cartoon.

 

He grinned as he looked at his favourite message so far.  In the text, she had said, " **I've seen a lot of ridiculous movies in my time, but this one _takes the_ _cake_** ".  He hadn't realized what she'd meant until he opened the photo attached.  It was the case of a movie called "Attack of the Killer Donuts".  He had drawn a few odd looks from the others when he had suddenly roared with laughter.

 

_Knock knock knock_

 

Sans' eyelights shrank to pinpricks.  She was here.  It was really happening.  Oh fuck, what if his friends didn't like her?  What if she didn't like them?  Would she like his costume?  Why was everyone grinning at him?!  Oh...

 

He'd failed to notice that he'd started sweating nervously, his bones rattling slightly.  Undyne and Alphys snickered.  Flowey motioned with his leaves to go and answer the door.  Sans just stared back at him blankly.  The flower sighed exasperatedly.

 

"Do you want Papyrus to be the first one she meets?"

 

Sans felt his sockets go completely dark with panic.  Oh god no.  He had to hurry.  He couldn't let that happen.  As he stood to go and answer the door, Frisk smiled kindly at him.

 

"It's gonna be okay Sans."

 

Thankfully Papyrus and Toriel were still busy in the kitchen.  Toriel would've definitely heard the door and was distracting Papyrus so that Sans could "prepare" (y/n) for what she was getting into.  Sans took a deep breath, willed his soul to calm its incessant fluttering, placed his laid-back grin on his skull and calmly opened the door.

 

Oh shit.

 

Oh no.

 

He didn't count on this.

 

He was fucked.

 

She looked...beautiful...

 

(Y/n) was wearing a red dress with black lace over the top that stopped just above her knees.  Red converse covered in more black lace were on her feet and black lace gloves covered her hands, stopping just below her elbows.  Her hair had been straightened and her face...stars.

 

Her face had been painted to look like a skull.  Except there were intricate designs painted on in black and red.  The areas around her eyes started out black but faded into red and were rimmed in red gemstones.  What looked like a spider web had been painted onto her forehead and at the top of her nose was more red gems in the shape of a flower.

 

Sans could feel his soul starting to thump erratically and he was pretty sure he could hear music in his soul.  He'd frozen.  If he didn't know for sure that she was definitely human, he'd say that she was a skeleton monster that had just painted her skull.

 

Eventually, the skeleton registered that his friend had started talking at some point.  He'd seen her mouth move, and she was looking at him as she'd asked a question.  But he hadn't heard a word of what she was saying.  His thoughts were still along the lines of "I just thought she was cute and adorable!  How the fuck did I not notice she was hot?!".  Her face fell slightly and Sans' thoughts snapped back to the present.

 

"It's too much, isn't it?  I told my sister it was too much!  Oh my god, I feel so embarrassed..."

 

Aww no.  Her cheeks were turning red under the make-up.  It was too much.  Sans could almost feel his soul break from how cute (and hot) she looked.

 

He took a deep breath.  He smiled gently at her and chuckled.

 

"ya look great, sweetheart."

 

(Y/n) stopped hiding behind her hands and smiled shyly.  Sans opened the door, allowing her to step inside.  Time to introduce her to the hellspawn that were his friends.

 

Sans could hear Toriel speaking in the living room, most likely telling everyone not to overwhelm the poor human who had willingly wandered into their midst.  She stopped speaking and there were footsteps, the noise in the living room had quietened down as if the monsters and human waiting there were listening for what was going on.

 

And then Toriel stepped out with a gentle smile on her face.  She opened her mouth to introduce herself but before she could say anything, (y/n) beat her to it.

 

"Holy cow!  You're beautiful!"

 

Silence.

 

The two monsters froze, and (y/n) was overcome with horror.

 

"I-I am so sorry!  Was that offensive?  I'm so stupid, of course that was offensive!  And Muffet told me that you were the queen, too...you've _goat_ to be kidding me...I mean GOT!  I mean-"

 

(Y/n) covered her face in her hands again, absolutely mortified.  Sans looked at the former queen, who was biting her lip and trying not to giggle.  He couldn't hold it in.  He started laughing, which set Toriel off laughing, too.  So much so that she started bleating.  Sans started to relax, and the goat monster's laughter slowly died down, and she calmed herself.

 

"Worry not, my child.  Please, come along and meet the others.  We've _goat_ to be going soon," she chuckled.

 

Sans snorted once more and shook his head before gently pulling his friend's hands away from her face.  He grinned at her, and she seemed to get the idea that she somehow made a good impression on Toriel.  Poor thing must've been as stressed as he had been about meeting everyone.  She was shaking slightly.  But Sans knew it wasn't in fear; it was nervousness.  

 

He slipped his hand around her tiny one and pulled her into the living room, where Toriel had just announced (y/n)'s arrival, and everyone was staring in their direction, eagerly anticipating the human girl that had captured Sans' attention so much and made him so unsure of himself.  Something which no other girl had ever been able to do.

 

The group of monsters (and human) took one look at the girl.  Undyne, Alphys and Frisk eagerly took note of the held hands and how close to Sans she was standing.  They looked at how she was dressed, and each person in the room grinned.  Undyne caught the skeleton's eye and mouthed 'Marry her'.  He blushed brightly, causing a red glow to be cast around the room.

 

(Y/n) waved shyly with her unoccupied hand.

 

"Um, hi?  I'm (y/n), it's nice to meet you."

 

"Oh my stars, she's adorable!"

 

_and thank you alphys for not being able to control the filter on your mouth._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That song you played when Sans opened the door? That was what he was hearing in his soul lol. It will come into play in like two chapters xD  
> This would've been longer. But it seemed to be getting a little long and I didn't want to make anyone wait any longer than necessary. I am doing all three Halloween ideas, but I have work and a lot of stuff going on at home. Please be patient :)
> 
> The picture that reader sends to Sans: https://horrorpediadotcom.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/attack-of-the-killer-donuts-2016-dvd.jpg?w=235&h=333  
> Dress that reader wears (just imagine it red instead): http://nafdress.com/assests/images/blue-dress-with-black-lace-dressing-room-blog.jpg  
> Shoes (but red): https://i.pinimg.com/736x/32/33/62/323362520bf23dd4da3d37a94113e07d--sneaker-pink-converse-all-star.jpg  
> Gloves: https://img1.etsystatic.com/008/0/6190005/il_fullxfull.408300589_e2fe.jpg  
> Make-up (again imagine that it's red): https://i.pinimg.com/736x/30/48/79/3048798e13cfee7229531c78f3f7ecbf--halloween-ideas-halloween-costumes.jpg


	5. Trick or Treat (alternatively called First Impressions part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First impressions part 2. And a bit of trick or treating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to do a trick-or-treat chapter. And then I realised that I didn't have any other ideas besides them going up to doors and asking for sweets. So I did what I usually do in situations where I didn't exactly plan ahead. I improvised.

Besides Alphys not being able to control what she says, the introductions went quite well.  Undyne had complimented (y/n)'s costume, saying that the pair of them looked like a skeleton mobster and his wife.

 

"Yeah, I don't know how that happened.  I didn't know Sans was going to be a mobster, I just thought he was going to wear a skeleton onesie or something..."

 

The fish monster had looked at Sans who confirmed that he hadn't told her what his costume was.  The former captain looked slightly confused, but Alphys and Toriel seemed to know something that no one else did.  They kept glancing at Sans and (y/n) and snickering.

 

And then Papyrus revealed himself.

 

Sans whispered a quick warning to stay away from the lasagna before his brother leaned down, getting as close as humanly possible to (y/n) in order to try and intimidate the human that was invading their home.  The taller skeleton scowled and glared right at her.  He seemed to be succeeding in scaring her, and Sans was about to step in, but then his brother began to speak and everyone could see the expression of awe on (y/n)'s face.

 

"HUMAN!  IS THIS A PITIFUL ATTEMPT AT IMPRESSING ME AND MY BROTHER?!  BECAUSE IT'S NOT WORKING!  THE FACT THAT YOU LOOK SOMEWHAT APPEALING LIKE THIS MATTERS NOT!  THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS SEES THROUGH YOUR EASILY CONSTRUCTED RUSE AND - "

 

"Oh my god!  You sound just like Skeletor!  That is so cool!  Can you do an evil laugh?"

 

Papyrus' jaw dropped open and he stared blankly at (y/n)'s starry eyed expression.  He quickly regained his composure.

 

"WHY, OF COURSE YOU THINK I AM COOL HUMAN!  MY USELESS BROTHER IS UNABLE TO SEE MY GREATNESS, BEING THE PITIFUL MONSTER THAT HE IS.  I WOULD NOT USUALLY FOLLOW AN ORDER FROM A SCRAWNY HUMAN SUCH AS YOURSELF.  HOWEVER, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE MY GREATNESS!  AND FOR THAT YOU SHALL BE REWARDED!  NYAHAHAHAHAH!"

 

(Y/n) actually squealed with delight and almost started gushing about how cool that was.  Sans almost felt a little jealous.  But this was what he wanted.  The more his friend said his brother was cool, the more Papyrus puffed out his chest.  He knew that (y/n) was definitely no longer in any danger when his brother finally proclaimed that if he killed her, then there would be no one to officially start a fan-club besides Frisk.  (Y/n) just laughed, as if being told that she was no longer going to die was something that happened on a regular occurrence.  Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

 

(Y/n) only calmed down from laughing when Frisk tugged on her hand.  She looked down at the child, practically cooing from how cute Frisk looked in their costume, and they grinned up at her.

 

"Could you paint my face like yours one day?" Frisk asked.

 

(Y/n) smiled apologetically and shook her head softly.

 

"I'm sorry.  I wasn't the one who painted my face like this.  My sister did."

 

Frisk frowned in disappointment, their bottom lip stuck out in a pout.  Unfortunately, kids were one of (y/n)'s weak points.  She couldn't resist the sad look on the kiddo's face.

 

"But...."

 

Frisk perked up.

 

"I do have some spare face paint in my bag.  I may be able to paint something to go with your costume..."

 

The child nodded eagerly and even Flowey piped up in excitement.  He wanted his face painted as well.  (Y/n) laughed again and placed her bags on the floor.  She quickly remembered something as she opened up one of them.

 

"Oh, er....I wasn't sure if there was going to be enough food, and I felt terrible about being invited last minute and not bringing anything.  So I managed to bake something real quick."

 

She pulled out a dish.  It was baked with oats on the top, the filling had some kind of purplish red fruit in.

 

"It's a blackberry crumble.  Picked the blackberries myself, and got stabbed by a load of thorns in the process, and...yeah...." (y/n) trailed off awkwardly.

 

Toriel was ecstatic.  She immediately complimented (y/n) on how it turned out (and how good it was most likely going to taste).  Papyrus was equally impressed, insisting that she try his lasagna and have a cooking session one day.  Frisk and Flowey were more impressed by the fact that (y/n) had picked the blackberries herself ("Can you take us fruit picking one day?" "Please say yes! We'll be good! We can help!" "We'll be the best helpers that have ever helped!").  Toriel and Alphys also expressed an interest in the idea.  (Y/n) couldn't bring herself to say no, and agreed to take them fruit picking next year.

 

Undyne turned to Sans, who was staring at his friend in amazement.

 

"Dude.  You've hit the jackpot.  Marry.  Her.  Now.  Or someone else will."

 

Sans didn't think it was possible for his skull to turn any brighter.  It wasn't because he liked (y/n)!  Yes, she was cute and adorable and funny.  But he didn't like her that way!  He was only turning red because he was embarrassed....Right?

 

(Y/n) eventually pulled out some make-up.  Because both Frisk and Flowey had masks, she decided to give Frisk black eye shadow with tiny bat wings painted on the side of each eye.  Their lips were also painted black and then coated with black glitter.  As for Flowey, three flying bats were painted on both of his cheeks and a single one painted on his forehead.  The two were thrilled when shown their faces in the mirror.  Toriel couldn't help but gush over the both of them, eagerly taking pictures.

 

Yep.  Sans had nothing to worry about.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Trick or treat!" two voices yelled eagerly.

 

The person at the door cooed at the adorable human and flower monster and put some candy in their trick-or-treat bags before wishing them a happy Halloween.

 

So far the night had been relatively tame.  Only a few glares had been sent in the general direction of the group of monsters and two humans.  Sans had a feeling that the good feeling towards monsters may be because of the holiday.  Apparently on Halloween not a lot of humans could actually tell who were monsters and who were humans dressed up in costumes.  Some humans just appreciated the monsters taking part in the holiday fun.  Which worked out perfectly fine for Frisk and Flowey.  An adorable kid and adorable flower monster in matching costumes were a hit.  They were getting so much candy that their bags were almost full.

 

At one of the houses the guy who answered had been so fascinated with the monsters that he had asked for pictures.  Sans and Alphys decided to opt out.  But Papyrus and Undyne posed dramatically for their pictures.  Toriel refused to have her picture taken unless Frisk and Flowey were in it too, then proceeded to ask for another picture (the group found out later that she placed it in a scrapbook).

 

The college kid then insisted on a picture of Sans and (y/n).  Something about their costumes being "badass".  He also mentioned that their picture would go great in his portfolio.  Apparently he was studying photography and having a monster coupled with a human in the picture would probably gain him some more points towards his final grade.

 

Sans didn't really like the idea of being a centre-piece for some college kid and was about to tell him so.  Until he looked at (y/n).  She had that expression on her face.  The kind she gets when she wants to help someone.  The skeleton's eye twitched slightly.  This girl was definitely going to get him killed one of these days.  No.  That's not right.  He knew too well that she'd sacrifice herself to save him and her loved ones any day.

 

And that was how Sans found himself in what appeared to be a lover's embrace with (y/n).  His arms were wrapped around her small frame and his hands were placed on her waist.  (Y/n) had grasped onto the shirt he was wearing as they both looked at the camera.  His friends stood off to the side watching and snickering.  Well most of them did.  Papyrus scowled slightly in a disapproving manner.

 

Sans could feel his soul stuttering once again.  He thought that this would be awkward.  So why did it feel right?  Why did it feel like he was always meant to hold (y/n) in this way?  Shit.  He needed to sort his head out.  He couldn't feel like this, not towards a human.  He could be friends with a human.  Sans' budding friendship with (y/n) was proof of that.  But it absolutely could not go further than that.

 

Just as Sans felt that his skull was going to burst and his soul was going to rush out of his rib-cage, it was over.  The kid thanked them for the photos and promised to send them copies in return.

 

The group carried on with trick or treating for another hour.  Sans couldn't bring himself to let go of (y/n)'s hand until they returned to the house to drop off the candy.


	6. Life Is A Carnival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carnivals are fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a Halloween chapter, and I'm sorry it's late. There was a death in the family and I've been really busy with work as well. I promise I'll get these chapters out as soon as possible. Thank you for being patient :)

It took about twenty minutes for the group to make it to the carnival.  Sans hadn't seen Frisk so excited.  They were literally bouncing up and down, Toriel doing everything in her power to stop the kid from running off into the crowds of humans and monsters.

 

(Y/n) was just as excited, if not more.  In fact, the only time the skeleton had seen her this excited was when Muffet asked her to try a sample of some chocolate orange cheesecake.  (Y/n) had been the one to give her the idea for it, so it only seemed fair.  The look on her face when Muffet told her that the "chocolate spiders" sprinkling the top were actually real, was nothing short of comical.  Sans couldn't help snapping a photo on his phone.  It was currently one of his favourite photos of his friend.  She'd felt awful about eating the spiders that helped around the bakery until Muffet had to calm her down, telling her that this was a normal thing in the bakery.  She'd still felt uneasy but had finished the cheesecake any way.  It was now on the menu ( ** _approved by humans_** written underneath. It had been a big hit so far!).

 

Frisk immediately began tugging Toriel's paw towards the funhouse.  Papyrus grumbled but followed after them, insisting that he must remain with the two as he was Frisk's bodyguard.  This left the remaining four.  The three monsters had never been to a carnival and didn't know where to start.  The bright lights, the smells from the different food stalls and screams of delight from rides made it a bit overwhelming at first.

 

At a loss, they turned to (Y/n) for guidance who was still shaking with excited energy.  She pinched her chin in thought and scanned the sights of the carnival, at least what she could see of it anyway.  When her gaze landed on something, (y/n)'s eyes began twinkling.  Sans couldn't quite interpret what that twinkle meant.  Before he could ask, his friend had grabbed his hand and was pulling him forward and yelling for Undyne and Alphys to keep up.  And it didn't take long to see what (y/n) had set her sights on.

 

Having seen the monsters join the line, quite a few humans decided to move onto other rides and activities.  The few that remained greeted the group with nervous smiles, but overall didn't seem threatening.  So when the ride stopped, the monsters and humans all found themselves strapped into bumper cars.  Undyne and Alphys were in one car (obviously), with Sans and (y/n) barely managing to fit into another.  The two cars were close enough for them to talk before they started.  And judging by the confused looks on each of their faces, (y/n) decided to put them out of their misery and explain.

 

"Okay guys.  In this ride, you press the pedal to move the car and move the wheel in front to steer.  The aim of the ride is to bump into everyone else's cars.  As hard as possible."

 

They looked towards the teenager who was controlling the bumper cars, each one seeming to question whether their friend was right.  When the teenager grinned and nodded reassuringly and the other humans cheered for them to not hold back, the monsters couldn't resist.

 

The looks of sheer mischief and joy that crossed all three of their faces made (y/n) slightly regret bringing them to this ride.  But it couldn't be that bad right?

 

That thought quickly went out the window as the ride started and everything went to hell.  Sans pressed down hard on the pedal and immediately crashed the car into another couple.  The teenagers screamed with joy and instantly declared war against them, and (y/n) found herself screaming while she latched onto the skeleton's arm.  She was convinced that if she let go for a second then she would be flung out of the car and into the path of Undyne and Alphy's car, which was currently taking on the other two cars filled with human teenagers.

 

Sans glanced at (y/n) from the corner of his eyesocket and immediately pulled his arm out of her grasp and wrapped it around her, hugging her to him tightly.

 

"don't worry sweetheart.  i ain't gonna let anythin' happen to ya," he grinned.

 

(Y/n) blushed and held on tight, smiling and beginning to giggle.  It soon turned into exhilarated laughter until at some point the two started arguing over who was going to steer (crashing into their friends and having another group of teenagers crash into the back in the process).

 

Ten minutes of violently crashing into just about everyone on the ride later, the group of friends climbed out of the cars laughing.  (Y/n) grinned.  She was glad that she had made the right choice, and that they had enjoyed themselves.  What was better was that the humans that had seemed so nervous around them before, were talking to the monsters and recommending rides to go on and which stalls to get food from before going their separate ways.

 

"okay.  i'll admit, that was pretty fun."

 

"Pretty fun?  Pretty fun?!  That was fucking badass!  Fuhuhuhu!"

 

(Y/n) laughed along with Undyne.  Yep.  Definitely the right decision.  She didn't even have to suggest anything else before the fish monster had dragged her girlfriend to a Tunnel of Love.  Sans didn't want to hazard a guess at what the two were going to get up to in there.  He just hoped they weren't going to get thrown out so soon.

 

He turned back to his friend who was still grinning in that (cute and adorable) dorky way.

 

"so what do ya - "

 

"Teacups!"

 

Sans blinked.  Teacups?  What the fuck?  (Y/n) eagerly pointed behind him and when he turned, he saw another ride that consisted of giant teacups.  The people inside were spinning them as fast as possible as the cups circled around the ride. It was like something from Asgore's teenage years if he ever got stoned.  He glanced back.  Oh stars, she was bouncing and-

 

Okay she had grabbed his hand.  They were holding hands again.  They were heading to the giant teacups.  The crowd was parting like the red sea for them, some monsters actually smirking at him.  Why were they laughing?  Oh.  Sans caught a glimpse of his face as they passed a House of Mirrors.  He was bright red and glowing.  Oh god.  This was embarrassing.  He should let go of (y/n)'s hand.  But he couldn't bring himself to.  Her soul was just so bright with happiness that even if she wasn't holding his hand, he would've followed after her anyway.  He was following her like a beacon in the darkness of the Void.  If her soul was like this all the time then he would gladly follow her forever.

 

And then somehow he was sitting in a giant teacup.  He'd spaced out and in that time, (y/n) had dragged him into the line for the ride and then onto the ride itself.  The next moment had the little door closing, signalling the ride starting.  His friend turned to him then with an evil grin, eyes glinting red from all the lights and a knife in her hand.  Oh god.   _She was going to kill him_.  This was how he was going to die.  _She was going to kill him_.  That expression on this girl's face should not be legal.  **_She was going to kill him_**.  That expression was the same as that **demon's** when -

 

"Let's make the teacup go as fast as possible!"

 

The evil grin, the red eyes, _the knife_ was gone, replaced by the goofy grin that he knew and loved ( _what?_ ).  What the hell just happened?  Did that really happen or did he imagine it?  For a moment he stared at her confused as his soul began to calm.  (Y/n) rushed to explain.

 

"Okay it's like this.  See this thing in the middle?  It's solid.  It doesn't move.  But you grip onto it and kinda use it to turn the teacup if that makes sense?  Look, I'll show you!"

 

She gripped onto the wheel in the middle.  With what little strength she had (and with her tongue poking out the side of her mouth which was driving him crazy), she slowly managed to turn the teacup they were in.  Sans managed to grasp the concept then and gave an experimental turn, sending (y/n) into a fit of giggles.  The nice kind of giggles that he looked forward to hearing.  He grinned.  This was going to be fun.  Whatever had just happened could wait.  For now he was going to have fun with his -

 

**...**

 

What _was_ (y/n) to him?

 

He wasn't given much time to even think about that before the ride started.  Sans and (y/n) both gripped the wheel and immediately began spinning the teacup that they currently resided in.  With the both of them turning the wheel, it wasn't long before all of the sights and sounds of the carnival became bright blurs and distant screams and chatter.

 

When they finally stumbled out of the teacup, (y/n) almost fell to the floor from her legs shaking so much.  Sans managed to catch her in time as they both started laughing.  Sans couldn't remember the last time he truly laughed from just having a good time.  He didn't know whether to be sad or angry about that.  He just laughed harder instead.

 

The night carried on like this.  The two went on just about every roller coaster (apparently y/n had thing for thrill rides.  The bigger the better...Sans wasn't sure if he wanted to know if this applied to other things).  They went through a haunted house.  He couldn't explain why he felt his soul humming and purring as (y/n) clung to him in fright, close to tears after being chased by an evil clown.  Nor could he explain the protective growl that threatened to rumble from his throat at the clown that had scared her so much, and tried to get a little too close for his liking.  

 

At some point the two had sat down at a bench to catch their breath.  Sans had managed to get a hot dog and slathered it in mustard.  (Y/n) was nibbling on some cotton candy.  He watched her as she ate.  It was like she was a little mouse.  Hehe.  There's a funny thought.  If she had been a monster, she probably would've been a mouse monster.  He'd heard her sneeze once.  Instead of the big explosion he expected (which was what usually came from Frisk), he heard a tiny little squeak as she had squinted her eyes closed.  It was so cute and she'd been so embarrassed that he'd been waiting patiently for it to happen again.

 

(Y/n) finally noticed him watching her and tore off a large piece of the fluffy pink cotton candy.

 

"Want some?"

 

Sans paused.  He wasn't a lover of sweets.  (Y/n) knew this.  But...It couldn't hurt to give it a little try.  He hesitantly reached out with bony fingers and took the cotton candy.  He studied it for a moment.  With the lights shining, he could almost see the sparkle from the sugar crystals.  He opened his jaw and popped the piece into his mouth.  He winced.  Just as he suspected.  A little too sweet for his taste.  He swallowed quickly and began eating his hot dog again to get rid of the taste.

 

How could (y/n) even stomach this?  That was a question he asked himself a lot.  He only ever saw her eating sweets and cake.  How were her teeth not rotten?  Was this why her soul was so sweet and kind?  Because she ate sweets so much?

 

"Well?" she looked at him for his critique.

 

"eh." he shrugged.  "not really a sweet tooth like you sweetheart."

 

She giggled and shrugged back.

 

"Not many people are."

 

They went back to eating and Sans looked around, looking for something that the two of them could do next.  The game stalls managed to catch Sans attention.  Well, one in particular.  It wasn't so much the game.  But one of the prizes on offer.  He just knew that (y/n) would love it.  He grinned darkly, tossing the remains of his food in a nearby trashcan.  His friend finished the cotton candy and began to follow him curiously.

 

When they stopped at the stall, (y/n) raised an eyebrow at Sans.

 

"Okay, I have to ask.  Which of these prizes are you going to torment Papyrus with?"

 

He just snickered and placed 5 dollars into the waiting hand of the blonde man handling the stall.  The blonde placed three small hoops into Sans' bony hand.

 

"Okay dude, 's a pretty simple game.  Throw the hoops onto the tops of the bottles to win a prize.  One hoop gets ya a small prize.  Two hoops gets a medium sized prize and three hoops means that ya can get a big prize.  Ready?  Good.  Knock yerself out."

 

Sans seemed to weigh up his options, eyelights flicking back and forth and trying to decide where to throw the first hoop.

 

"Oh!  One more thing dude."

 

Sans glanced back at the blonde, irritated.

 

"No magic."

 

Sans scowled.  Well there goes cheating.  He looked back at (y/n).  Oh no.  Why did her eyes have to sparkle like that?  It was like she was from one of Alphys' animes!  Only better because this was real!  He could feel himself feeling determined to win something.  Even if it was only little.  He knew she would appreciate it.

 

The skeleton turned back to the game and threw the first hoop.  It teetered on the edge of falling, but managed to fall around the neck of a bottle.  Phew.  At least he had secured a little prize.  The next hoop seemed to be on the right track, but it bounced off the bottle at the last second and clattered to the ground.  He winced and sweat began to form on his skull.

 

"You can do it Sans!" (y/n) cheered.

 

The sound of (y/n) cheering him on filled him with even more determination.  He threw the last hoop.  It bounced off two bottles and teetered on the third, before finally falling and resting around the neck of a fourth.

 

(Y/n) cheered and clapped, congratulating him.  The blonde manning the stall smirked and motioned for him to come closer, where his friend wouldn't be able to hear what was said.

 

"Is it for _her_?" the man's green eyes flicked to (y/n) in amusement.  Sans nodded.  The blonde grinned and winked.

 

"Then take your pick dude."

 

Sans pointed to one of the prizes and the man grinned again, getting it down before handing it to the skeleton and wishing him luck.  Whatever that meant.

 

Before he turned back to his friend, he told her to close her eyes.  The man nodded at him, signalling it was safe to turn around.  Sans couldn't help but grin, almost chuckling when he saw that (y/n) had physically covered her eyes with her small hands.  She was grinning excitedly and biting her lip slightly, as if trying not to laugh.  The slight giggles proved that she was failing pretty miserably.

 

"okay.  open."

 

(Y/n) put her hands down and opened her eyes, and Sans almost laughed at how they physically widened.  The reason why is because he was holding a fluffy white bunny.  When he saw it, he instantly remembered how (y/n) told him that her favourite story growing up was Alice in Wonderland.  Having only recently come to the surface, he'd never heard of the story (and so had proceeded to look it up on the computer when he got home.  He wasn't being creepy.  He was curious).  But this white rabbit was just like the one in the story.

 

The blonde at the stall watched with amusement as Sans nervously handed over the rabbit.

 

"yer a bit of a dreamer sweetheart.  so now you have a white rabbit, it won't be long before you go to your own wonderland."

 

She wasn't moving.  She wasn't taking it.  He was growing more and more nervous.  Her eyes watered and **_oh god no! Please don't cry! Please don't -_**

 

"Sans..." she whispered.

 

(Y/n) finally took the rabbit and snuggled it gently, before looking back up at him, tears in her eyes.

 

"This is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me..."

 

He felt his soul soar and he had to physically will himself to not purr in front of her.  It would scare her off.  And yet she was holding his hand again, smiling gently and pulling him towards another part of the carnival.

 

When Sans looked back, the blonde was giving him a thumbs up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T-shirt that inspired the title of this chapter: https://image.spreadshirtmedia.com/image-server/v1/mp/products/P1013526414T812A339MPC1022252685PA1663PT17/views/1,width=300,height=300,appearanceId=339,backgroundColor=E8E8E8,version=1478275034/life-is-a-carnival-graphic-funny-t-shirt-t-shirts-men-s-premium-t-shirt.jpg


	7. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans finds out some things about Reader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I more or less had a plan for how this chapter was supposed to go so it was pretty easy for me to get this all done today. I had a lot of time too. Hope you like it!
> 
> P.S. In my headcanon, Underfell Alphys is a lot more confident than Undertale Alphys. So she doesn't really stutter. I also suck at writing stuttering xD

Most of the group had gone back to the skelebros' house.  Frisk and Flowey were dozing in Toriel's arms and so Papyrus had offered to take them home.  The rest were trying to decide on what to watch.

 

They were all in pajamas (or what could be seen as pajamas).  Alphys was wearing a white baggy t-shirt with Mew Mew on and matching pink leggings with paw prints dotted around.  Undyne was just in a black tank top and shorts.  Sans was wearing a dark red t-shirt with some grey sweatpants.  (Y/n) had a dark grey t-shirt.   _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_ written in an orange-brown colour.  She'd paired it with black sweatpants that had weird triangles all over, a circle in each of them with a line going down the middle.  She'd also wiped off all of the makeup.  As beautiful as she had looked before, Sans thought she looked even more beautiful in this relaxed state.

 

At least she looked relaxed until Undyne brought out shot glasses and a bottle of vodka, grinning evilly.

 

"Fuhuhuhu.  Okay punks, time to play Never Have I Ever!  Well, as much as we can until Papyrus gets back and puts a stop to all the fun."

 

Alphys rolled her eyes slightly and (y/n) giggled.

 

"I've never played before, but I know the rules.  My sister plays it a lot...it's kinda why she ends up coming home drunk," she laughed.

 

Undyne grinned in excitement and passed round the shot glasses, filling them up in the process.  Sans grimaced but he couldn't help but be slightly intrigued.  Who knows what kind of things he could learn about (y/n) and his friends.  But mostly (y/n).  An order was quickly put together.  First it would be Sans, then (y/n), Alphys and then Undyne.  And the game began.

 

"hmm, never have i ever....fangirled because i thought a human wearing cosplay was the real life mew mew," Sans sent a shit-eating grin towards Alphys.  The dinosaur monster blushed and glared furiously at the skeleton before knocking back the glass of vodka, complaining of the taste.  Undyne snickered slightly and refilled the glass, comforting her girlfriend.

 

"It - it was a very convincing cosplay!"

 

"Of course it was babe!  It was VERY convincing!  I thought the ears and tail were real too!"

 

It was (y/n)'s turn.

 

"Um....never have I ever....been in a fight?"

 

Both Undyne and Sans drank out of their shotglass.  (Y/n)'s jaw almost dropped.  She cautiously turned to Alphys who hadn't drank anything.  Alphys shrugged and pushed her glasses up her nose.

 

"I don't fight.  I just used to experiment on the monsters that Undyne brought to me.  It was pretty fun."

 

Alphys and Undyne laughed at the horrified look on (y/n)'s face.  Sans chuckled too and placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

 

"easy sweetheart.  we don't fight anyone anymore.  and we especially don't experiment on anyone anymore."

 

That seemed to calm her down.

 

"Never have I ever....been in an orgy." It was Alphys' turn to wear a shit-eating grin.

 

Undyne bit her lip and grinned, trying not to laugh.  (Y/n) slowly turned towards Sans, whose eyesockets had gone completely dark.  He grimaced and he could feel the fangs in his mouth getting sharper as he fought against the urge to snap at Alphys's neck.  _i'll fuckin' kill this bitch_.  He didn't dare look at (y/n).  He didn't want her finding out about that!  He was drunk at the time!  And the women had been ever so tempting....

 

"Heh, seriously?"

 

(Y/n) started giggling hysterically which set Undyne off.  The two were howling with laughter as Sans felt his skull start to turn bright red and he grew more flustered.

 

"i was drunk!  i didn't know what i was doin'!"

 

"Just shut up and drink bonehead!" Undyne laughed.

 

"Oh god!  Papyrus was wrong!  You're not lazy Sans!  You were exercising all the time!  You were getting _toned while you boned_!" (y/n) was crying with laughter now, cheeks turning bright red.  This just made Undyne laugh harder.

 

If Sans hadn't been so embarrassed and mortified that something like this had been revealed to his friend (and that y/n had said something like that in the first place), he would've laughed at the pun.  He just grumbled and drank the shot, allowing the fish monster to refill his glass again while snickering.

 

"Okay, okay.  My turn.  Never have I ever....cried at a movie."

 

(Y/n) picked up her glass, eyeing it hesitantly.

 

"just knock it back sweetheart.  the sooner ya do it, the sooner it's over."

 

She nodded and quickly drank.  As she lowered the shot glass, all three monsters laughed at the girl's expression.  She'd scrunched up her face and was sticking out her tongue, clearly protesting against the taste of the vodka.  Definitely not a regular drinker.  At the most she was a light-weight.  She shuddered once more.  Undyne and Alphys smirked at her, eyebrows raised.

 

"What?  You try watching Marley and Me, you'll probably have the same reaction!"

 

Sans snickered.  He needed to find this movie.  How sad could it be?  For now, it was his turn.  And he had the perfect revenge for those two.

 

"never have i ever read fifty shades of grey."

 

He snickered as the other two monsters scowled and drank from their glass.  Five seconds later, Sans' jaw dropped as (y/n) drank out of her glass, unable to meet anyone's eyes and shifting uncomfortably.

 

Silence.  Alphys and Undyne also started to stare at her.

 

"Really?"

 

(Y/n)'s blush crept down her neck and to the tips of her ears.  She nodded slightly.  Undyne started laughing while Alphys continued to stare in disbelief.  Sans didn't know what to think.  He only had a vague idea of what was in the book.  And (y/n) had read it.  She'd read it _willingly_!

 

**...**

 

Did that mean that she was into that sort of thing?  Was she not as sweet and innocent as he had thought her to be?

 

"How the hell did that happen?" Undyne finally asked.

 

(Y/n) winced and brushed some hair out of her eyes.

 

"Well.  I originally got the books for my mom.  She was the one who wanted to read them!  We were on vacation and I was bored...I just wanted to look because that kinda thing usually makes me laugh, I'm immature like that!  I started reading it for a laugh!  And then...I kinda got sucked into the story and before I knew it, I'd read all three books...."

 

The three monsters had gone back to gaping at her.

 

"You read all three?!  Undyne and I only read the first one!"

 

"Holy shit punk..."

 

Before any more could be said Papyrus waltzed through the door and, judging by the groans that emanated from the group of friends sat on the floor, the game ended.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"er....sweetheart?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"ya brought horror movies."

 

"I know."

 

"these look...pretty intense."

 

"Some of them are."

 

"...are you....will you be okay?"

 

(Y/n) looked at Sans, a deadpan expression on her face.

 

"What?  You think because I like cake, teddy bears and Disney, I'm not going to be able to handle this?  Please.  I watch this kind of stuff every night.  It's you guys I'm worried about."

 

She continued moving the DVDs out of the bag she'd brought.  There was an awful lot of them.  Were these all from her personal collection?  If so, he didn't know whether to be disturbed or impressed by the amount of horror movies that looked very unnerving.

 

(Y/n) grabbed one of the DVDs and rushed to Papyrus.  She held it up for the tall skeleton to see.

 

"I think you'll really like this one Papyrus!"

 

Papyrus scowled and leaned down to look at (y/n).

 

"AND WHAT, PRAY TELL, MAKES YOU THINK THAT I WILL ACTUALLY ENJOY THIS PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A MOVIE?"

 

(Y/n) grinned mischievously.

 

"Because the villain in it uses puzzles to torture his victims.....they don't usually live."

 

There was three seconds of silence.

 

And then something happened which only happens once every blue moon.

 

Papyrus smiled.

 

Well it wasn't really a smile.  It was more of an evil smirk.  He stood back up, hands on his hipbones and burst out into loud laughter.  He pointed at Sans, one hand still on his hip.

 

"SANS!  THIS HUMAN BAKES, SHE LOOKS SOMEWHAT ATTRACTIVE AS A SKELETON AND SHE ENJOYS WATCHING MOVIES ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING TORTURED!  YOU HAVE MY BLESSING TO MAKE THIS HUMAN YOUR MATE!"

 

Undyne and Alphys started laughing.  Sans was mortified and he could feel his skull turning red.  Again.  That was happening a lot lately.  (Y/n) looked so confused as she looked between them all, clearly not understanding what Papyrus was talking about.  He was a little concerned about this movie potentially giving Papyrus ideas.  (Y/n) seemed to catch on to his train of thought.

 

"Be grateful I didn't bring the Human Centipede over.  I couldn't even get through that movie, it was so fucked up.  I know you said Alphys is a scientist, and I didn't want her getting any ideas.  Papyrus WILL enjoy the movie, but he won't act on it.  Not when monsters and humans have to get along," she whispered to him.

 

Papyrus insisted on starting the marathon with Saw.  While Undyne and Papyrus put tons of pillows and blankets on the floor for everyone to get comfortable, Sans lounged on the couch and dozed.  Alphys and (y/n) were in the kitchen getting snacks.

 

The two were making a huge bowl of popcorn, another huge bowl was filled with Halloween candy and there was a huge pile of chocolate and potato chips.  There was a lot of junk food.  They would most likely have stomach aches by the end of the night.

 

Because of how much food there was, (y/n) had to get Sans to help bring it all in.  Instead of just taking one bowl he just levitated all of it using his magic, setting it all down on the floor with the pillows and blankets.  Papyrus yelled at him for being so lazy.

 

"heh, can't help it boss.  i'm just so _bone-tired_."

 

Papyrus screeched and the others laughed, settling down on the pillows and wrapping blankets around themselves.  (Y/n) hugged the rabbit to her chest and snuggled down.  Sans sat down next to her.  If they were watching horror movies, then she would probably get scared.  She would want him to comfort her.  And he would be more than happy to keep her safe from whatever jumpscares there would be.

 

He was glad the others were so loud, because he wasn't able to stop the quiet purr that escaped him.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Sans awoke suddenly.  His soul was thrumming in his chest, leaving him panicked.  It was okay.  Everything was okay.  He wasn't back Underground.  There hadn't been a RESET.  So what felt wrong?

 

He looked around the room.  The TV was showing the ending credits to Final Destination 3 and the light illuminated the room slightly.  The bowl of popcorn and potato chips had been knocked over at some point, and some wrappers of the candy were spread out across the room, as if they had been thrown.  Papyrus was sleeping soundly on the couch, snores escaping him.  Undyne and Alphys were wrapped in some blankets a couple of paces away.  Sans looked to his right, expecting to see (y/n) all wrapped up in blankets while hugging the rabbit.

 

The rabbit was there.  But (y/n) wasn't.

 

He couldn't explain why he felt so panicked.  He forced himself to calm down.  She'd probably gone to the bathroom, maybe even to get a drink.  So he waited.  Two minutes passed.  Three.  Five minutes.  Sans had waited long enough.  He needed to know she was okay.

 

He looked in the kitchen first.  It was dark, like the rest of the house.  But the perks of being a monster meant that he was able to see in the dark.  And he could clearly see that (y/n) wasn't in here.

 

He was going to head to the bathroom next.  Maybe the small amount of alcohol and all the junk food had made her sick.  It wouldn't hurt to check on her and see if she was okay.

 

Except he didn't make it to the bathroom before he found her.

 

She was standing in the hallway, staring out the window.  She didn't acknowledge him approaching.  She didn't seem to realise he was there.

 

"(y/n)?"

 

No response.

 

Then, she slowly turned towards Sans, looking right at him.  Sans felt his soul shudder. And not in a good way like it usually did when (y/n) looked at him.  Something was wrong.  She looked.....dazed.  The lights were on but there was nobody home.  It was freaking him out.

 

"(y/n), sweetheart.  ya alright?" he asked quietly.

 

Sans watched as she slowly shook her head "no".  Something was wrong.  He didn't know what it was.  But even (y/n) in her supposedly unconscious state knew something was wrong.  She was completely out of it.  There was no way that this was normal.  

 

He didn't want to risk waking her, it could make things worse.  So he gently took hold of one of her hands and wrapped his arm around her, attempting to guide her as she stumbled back to the living room under Sans' guidance.  She was still very dazed.  Definitely not awake.

 

Sans helped her so that she was lying down on the pillows, making sure to place her on her side.  He placed the rabbit in her arms and covered her with one of the blankets.  Her eyes were still open, and unfocused.  He gently began to stroke her hair, his other hand rubbing small circles between her shoulder blades.  As if his actions had calmed her, (y/n)'s eyes began to close until she'd finally drifted off back to sleep.

 

Sans stayed awake for the rest of the night, watching her carefully in case she needed anything.  It was only when he heard his brother starting to stir that he finally allowed his eyelids to close so that he could catch up on some much needed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Halloween chapters lol.


	8. Sweet Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made myself cry writing this. Hope you enjoy it TT_TT
> 
>  
> 
> (Warning: This is sad. Well it was to me.)

_Stars he was getting impatient._

 

_He looked around.  Everything was set in place.  Chairs had been set down in two aisles outside, small pale blue forget-me-not flowers scattered down the aisle.  It was Asgore's idea.  The colour matched his magic, and_ she _had loved the simplicity of them.  They also represented true love.  Everything looked amazing as the sun started to set._

 

_That was the time the two had decided.  This way they would be able to watch the stars come out, and if after an hour at the reception he decided to whisk his bride away in the night, no one would blame him.  It was taking every ounce of willpower to go through with this, he would've eloped if he could!  But_ she _had always wanted to get married.  And even though_ she _wasn't usually the type to care for such things, he couldn't take this away from_ her _. He wouldn't dream of it._

 

_Most of the guests had been seated.  Asgore was standing behind him getting ready to start the ceremony.  Papyrus was standing next to him, offering encouragement and best wishes for the future that was undoubtedly going to be the best thing in the world.  He was the coolest brother ever._

 

_Muffet and Grillby were standing in front of the food table and making sure everything was as it should be.  The two had collaborated and offered both of their services for the wedding, as a gift.  The fact that Grillby was one of Sans' best friends and Muffet being one of_ her's _was probably a contributing factor.  Not that anyone was complaining.  And the food looked amazing.  Especially the cake.  Sans had never been a sweet tooth, so he secretly asked Muffet to make his bride's favourite cake and use it for the wedding.  It was a six tier tall strawberry shortcake with white chocolate.  He was sure that he could see little blue forget-me-not flowers_ _dotted around the cake, the spider monster had reassured him that they were edible.  He couldn't wait to see his bride's face._

 

_Oh!  He could see Toriel coming.  Was it almost time?  He looked at her desperately.  She chuckled gently._

 

_"I suggest you get ready Sans," the former queen smiled and patted his shoulder in a comforting manner.  Probably to help calm his nerves._

 

_Why was he so nervous?  He could literally see the blue beads of sweat falling off him.  Papyrus noticed his brother's mini panic attack and handed him a handkerchief, and Sans wiped his skull for the millionth time.  He saw_ her _every day!  He shouldn't be so nervous!  They were just wearing some fancy clothes, having a party and -_

 

_Oh stars...._

 

_While he had been in his own little dreamworld, Frisk had come out and hurried up the aisle.  They were wearing a small suit and little purple bow tie and were carrying a cushion with two silver rings on them.  One ring had a sapphire embedded in it, the other had an emerald._

 

_Undyne and Alphys had scurried up the aisle next.  Alphys was wearing a pale blue bridesmaid dress.  The strap went over her shoulder, leaving the other bare and the dress flowed down to her ankles.  Sans felt that it would've dragged on the ground if it hadn't been tailored.  He snickered slightly at the thought, but smiled and nodded when Alphys reached him.  Undyne must've refused to wear a dress, which caused him to smirk.  The fish monster was wearing a suit but with a dress shirt the same blue colour as the dress.  She grinned at him and smacked him on the back._

 

_And there_ she _was....._

 

_Oh gods have mercy on his soul._ She _was even more beautiful than when they first met._ Her _hair had been curled just a little.  It suited_ her _._ She _was wearing a strapless white dress with a sweetheart neckline.  There was some beading around_ her _chest and a few ruffles that opened up to the skirt, and of course it was just long enough to trail on the ground.  He almost laughed at that and went to cover his eager grin, but it was too late._ She'd _caught him and grinned back, winking at him the same way that he did whenever he told a joke.  He laughed for real then and didn't even hold back the blue blush that appeared on his face.  Everyone must've seen their interaction, judging by the laughs from the guests._

 

_The young man at_ her _side....This was_ her _brother.  That's right._ Her _mother had refused to attend if_ her _father attended. They decided not to tell him in the end.  Sans could remember holding_ her _as_ she _cried about not having him there.  Even if he was a complete dick.  So they compromised and went with the next best thing._ Her _brother.  And he looked so proud right now, as he should be._

 

_Sans focused on his bride as_ she _was walked down the aisle.  He didn't deserve_ her _._ She _was so beautiful.  So kind.  And_ she _had chosen him!_ She _had chosen to be his!  He couldn't believe his luck.  What are the odds that the first human he would run into on the surface would be his soulmate?_

 

_He could see_ her _eyes twinkling in the setting sun.  It was starting to get a little darker now.  The fairy lights that had previously been hidden in the trees came on._ She _was close enough for him to reach out and touch_ her _now._

 

Her _face suddenly contorted in pain and_ she _leaned heavily against_ her _brother, hand pressed to_ her _stomach and gasping for air._

 

_What the-_

 

_Sans looked down.  Blood was leaking from behind_ her _hand.  Blood started to trickle from_ her _lips and_ she _started to tremble and whimper.  He caught_ her _as_ she _collapsed, fussing around_ her _and trying to stop the blood.  Why was there so much?_

 

_The guests began screaming and running around in a panic.  He looked around helplessly.  Why wouldn't anyone help?  What was_ her _brother doing?  He looked to where_ her _brother was only to be greeted with the human dying in the same way as his bride.  He couldn't lose_ her _.  Not now.  Not when they were so close._

 

_Where was Toriel?  She would be able to help.  She was an amazing healer!  If anyone could help his mate, it would be her.  But when he looked, all he found was a pile of dust where Toriel had been sitting with Frisk.  Frisk...where was the kid?_

 

_..._

 

_Where was Papyrus?  Sans turned to look over his shoulder.  But in the middle of calling for help from his brother, the skeleton stopped and felt his soul go cold.  Papyrus was right behind him, arms spread out as if protecting him and his mate from something.  His brother was hurting, crying and.....no._

 

_Sans felt himself tremble as he watched his brother turn to dust in front of him.  Standing behind him, was none other than Frisk holding a knife.  Where did they get that from?  They were grinning sadistically and their eyes glinted red in the last of the light._

 

_"Sans....."_

 

_His eyes widened as he heard his bride.  Turning back to_ her _he began to coo and reassure_ her _that help was coming.  He begged_ her _to hold on just a little longer.  He watched as the light faded from_ her _eyes and as_ her _soul shattered, he kissed_ her _gently on the lips for the last time and slowly closed_ her _eyes._

 

_"frisk.....why...."_

 

_A giggle._

 

_"Who ever said I was Frisk?"_

 

 

* * *

 

_Sans woke up in his bed in Snowdin, shivering violently.  He didn't make it to the bathroom before vomiting blue magic all over the floor._

 

 

* * *

 

_The barrier had been broken again.  The monsters had been on the surface for four months.  That was when he ran into_ her _again._

 

_Just like the first time._

 

_He never told_ her _what he knew about the previous timeline.  He didn't bother.  He didn't think it would last for long anyway.  They'd been on the surface for two years last time.  And he had a bad feeling about this one too.  For now, he was just going to take it day by day and then try not to be too disappointed and angry and upset when the timeline reset again._

 

_Two years passed.  He waited for the day to come.  He had already proposed.  The wedding was in two days.  It was bound to happen.  Except it didn't._

 

_The wedding went off without a hitch.  No interruptions.  It was beautiful._ She _was beautiful.  As the stars came out and lit the night sky, they'd exchanged the rings and vows.  Had vowed to love each other for eternity, no matter what happened._ She _started crying when Toriel and_ her _mother did._

 

_He knew he was out of it.  He'd never made it this far.  He was on edge.  He kept eyeing Frisk.  So far they were acting pretty normal.  They had cried when the two had met in Snowdin again, insisting that they weren't the one who had killed his mate,_ her _brother  and their friends and then reset.  It had been the demon, Chara.  It wasn't that he didn't believe Frisk.  It's just he didn't want them to get out of sight.  It unnerved him._

 

_His mate seemed to have noticed his mood._ She _always did.  He didn't notice_ her _grin in that mischievous way that_ she _always did when pulling a prank.  The next thing he knew was his face getting splattered in cake.  He blinked.  Everything had gone quiet and everyone was looking at the two._

 

_He heard a beautiful sound from his right and slowly turned to look.  The sound was coming from_ her _._ She _was giggling away, hands dripping in cake and giving_ her _away. Sans grinned and grabbed a large chunk of the cake.  Before_ she _could get away, he shoved it in_ her _face._

 

_Everyone gasped in horror.  How would_ she _react?_

 

_The beautiful sound he heard the first time got louder as_ she _started laughing and reaching for more cake to throw at him.  It wasn't long before the two were covered in cake and grinning and laughing like the love-sick romantics that they were, the guests laughing with them and taking photos._

 

_Sans' eyelights softened and he pulled_ her _into his arms, tilting_ her _chin up so he could kiss_ her _.  The cake he managed to taste was just an added bonus.  It tasted better on_ her _anyway._

 

 

* * *

 

_Another two years passed._

 

_The couple now had their own little home.  Within a year, they had become parents to the most beautiful little girl.  She was the spitting image of her mother and could make her eyes glow the same colour as Sans' magic.  The child also had a habit of turning into a little skeleton whenever she cried.  A real little babybones._

 

_Sans' cried when he helped her take her first steps.  He couldn't be more proud._

 

_The skeleton was so happy.  He didn't think he could be happier.  He had a loving wife and mate, and a daughter.  It didn't matter what else happened.  They would be able to get through it as long as they stuck together as a family._

 

_At least....that was what he thought._

 

_One night, he had come from work exhausted.  The baby was already asleep, his wife had made him dinner.  Afterwards they had cuddled on the couch as usual before heading up to bed.  He had checked on the baby, fast asleep.  He grinned and fell onto the bed while pulling his wife into his arms and curling around_ her _protectively like he always did.  It wasn't long before he was sucked into dreamland._

 

_He didn't get much rest.  He woke slowly, wondering what had woken him.  His mate was still sleeping.  So was his little princess.  So what...._

 

_Wait._

 

_He sniffed the air._

 

_Smoke._

 

_Now that he could see more clearly, he realised that he couldn't really see clearly at all.  There was smoke....which meant...._

 

_There was a fire!_

 

_He tried to wake his mate._ She _was groggy and was coughing instantly, which immediately alerted_ her _to the danger._   She _wasn't thinking clearly because of the smoke._ She _panicked and ran across the bedroom to try and reach_ her _baby._

 

She _didn't make it._

 

_Sans watched in horror as the floor beneath his mate fell through and_ she _fell.  Right into the heart of the fire.  He scratched at his skull and screamed in tormented agony as he heard_ her _screams of pain, he could feel_ her _soul shattering._

 

_Weeping from the loss of his mate, Sans took a shortcut across the room to his daughter's crib and picked her up gently but quickly.  He took another shortcut outside. Neighbours had gathered in the street and were calling the police and fire fighters.  When he was spotted an ambulance was called._

 

_His baby, he had to make sure his baby was okay._

 

_She wasn't breathing!  She didn't have a pulse!  He watched her tiny purple soul shatter and her tiny body start to crumble into dust, leaving only the little yellow blanket behind, and he screamed at the unfairness of it all._

 

_This wasn't fair!  He was happy!  He was finally happy!  Why?!  How did this even happen?!  They were always so careful about leaving things on.  His mate was...had been practically OCD about it._ She _had always checked that things were turned off..._

 

_A small tap on his shoulder.  He didn't want to see or speak to anyone.  He wanted to be left alone.  He wanted to turn to dust so he could be with his family._

 

_The tap came again.  He slumped.  Defeated.  And turned._

 

_Frisk?  No.  The demon was grinning at him and...holding a box of matches.  He growled and snarled at them._

 

_"Since when were you the one in control?"_

 

_He was going to kill this kid.  But he didn't get the chance.  He felt the familiar headache coming.  The world was resetting.  But just before it did, he promised he would get stronger.  So that he could protect his family.  His mate.  His (y/n).  No matter the cost._

 

 

* * *

 

_Sans woke up again in his bed in Snowdin.  He didn't make it off his bed before vomiting the usual red magic._

 

_Wait._

 

_Red magic?_

 

_He found it in himself to look in the mirror, standing on very shaky legs._

 

_His eyelights were crimson red now, and his teeth were razor sharp.  One of the teeth was gold.  What happened?  Why did he look so different?_

 

_..._

 

_Did he look different?  Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember being any other way._

 

_What happened in that previous timeline?  Eh, couldn't be important if he forgot it._

 

_Where was his jacket.....ah!  There!  Time to get to his sentry post before Papyrus threatens to kill him again._

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sans woke in a cold sweat, shaking so much his bones were rattling.  He looked to his side.  (Y/n) was still curled up on her side next to him, still hugging the rabbit.  In his sleep he had unconsciously slung his arm around her.  This was embarrassing.  And yet...so so familiar.  His thoughts went back to the dream.

 

_what the fuck was that?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be careful what you wish for. Everything comes with a price.
> 
>  
> 
> (Sorry if this really upset or offended anyone....)


	9. When Dreams Come True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How am I coming up with these chapters? It's like I''m possessed. The last chapter took me hours to write and I was writing non-stop since I got home from work, right up to the moment I uploaded. And people are liking this?! I'm not complaining, but seriously, why? xD

The morning was....awkward.  To say the least.

 

First of all, Sans had asked (y/n) if she was feeling better after last night.  She quirked a brow, swallowed the part of pancake she had been chewing absentmindedly and had said she was feeling fine.  The skeleton had looked at her confused, and asked her why she'd been up in the middle of the night if she was feeling fine.  She blinked.

 

"Sans, I've been asleep all night."

 

He didn't know what to say to that, and began to pick at the pancakes that Papyrus had placed in front of him so he could distract himself.  For a while there was more awkward silence that was only filled with the sound of chewing.  Sans had just about worked up his courage to ask (y/n) how she discovered she loved horror movies so much (he was legitimately curious!).  But when he looked over at her, his eyesockets darkened and he gritted his teeth as he fought back a scream.

 

(Y/n) was covered in flames.  She was screaming in pain and he couldn't bring himself to move to help, nor could he look away as the flesh melted off her bones.

 

"Sans?"

 

Sans blinked.  The flames were gone.  Everyone was looking at him, (y/n) in concern.  What the hell?  He could feel and hear his bones rattling and he couldn't catch his breath.  (Y/n) stood up and made to approach him.

 

He didn't let her get close.  He teleported to the bathroom and emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet, still shaking.  He was there for a while, just vomiting red magic.  It was only when he felt a familiar small hand rubbing soothing circles in between his shoulders, and a soft voice whispering comforting words that Sans finally remembered all of the horrible nightmare he had suffered.  He collapsed into (y/n)'s arms, sobbing hysterically and gripping her like his life depended on it, and all she could do was continue to comfort him, though the questioning look of sorrow and helplessness that she turned towards the other monsters had them all wondering.

 

What on earth happened?

 

 

* * *

 

 

At some point Sans had fallen asleep.  His sleep was thankfully undisturbed this time.  Something that he'd never been more grateful for.

 

When he awoke he was on the couch, and (y/n), Alphys and Undyne were gone.  He could hear Papyrus in the kitchen, washing some dishes by the sounds of it.  His friends couldn't have been gone for long.  The place still hadn't been cleaned up properly.  He could still see traces of popcorn on the floor.

 

He reached for his phone.  He wanted to text (y/n).  Make sure she was okay.  Apologise for whatever the hell that was.  Thank her for being there.

 

**13:13 pm * (xxx): hey. thanks for earlier.**

 

He didn't have to wait long.

 

**13:15 pm *(Cookie Monster): No problem :) Are you feeling better?**

 

He grinned and his soul started to hum pleasantly again.

 

**13:16 pm * (xxx): much better. thanks again. you're the best friend anyone could have.**

 

He made sure to use the correct spelling and grammar.  He knew she would appreciate it, and (y/n) knew how much he hated texting anything longer than a joke or a meme.  So he knew that she would be able to see how grateful he was.

 

About ten minutes passed.  He was getting a little worried.  Had he said something wrong?

 

**13:27 pm * (Cookie Monster): What are friends for? :)**

 

He grinned again.  He was glad that he'd said the right thing.  She'd probably been busy with something and had only just gotten the text.

 

But now that things were sorted with (y/n) and he knew that she was alright, he had other things to sort out.  Like that nightmare.  It was way too realistic for him to be comfortable with.  He had to find out whether there was any truth to it.  It was probably nothing.  He was probably just being paranoid.  He was still pretty shaken, not to mention they had watched a lot of horror movies last night.  That combined with the weird encounter he had with (y/n) in the middle of the night was probably what triggered it.  It was most likely just a horrible conjuring that his mind had thought up. 

 

And yet, there was a horrible feeling in his non-existent gut that he just couldn't get rid of.  And this was why he found himself teleporting back into the Undergound for the first time in months.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The Underground was completely deserted.  There was nothing unusual about that.  Sans had expected it.  He wasn't even surprised to see the Riverperson still hanging around.  In fact he almost felt a little nostalgic when walking through Snowdin, footsteps crunching in the snow.  Almost.  He didn't miss it.  It just stirred up bad memories.  Maybe if the Underground had been a slightly more merciful place, things would've been different.  No use crying over spilt milk now.

 

The skeleton walked until he reached his old house.  The old mailboxes were still there (his was still overflowing).  The lights still twinkled on the roof of the house.  Sans didn't care about any of this.  The house wasn't what he was here for.

 

He walked to the back of the house, where his workshop was and unlocked the door, walking in and then locking it behind him.  He didn't think anyone would think to look for him here, but he didn't want to take any chances.

 

The machine was still in the corner of the room covered by the blanket he had thrown over it.  He'd been so frustrated at the thing not working that he couldn't bare to look at it anymore.

 

Sans didn't bother looking at the machine for more than a second before going to the drawers.  In one there was a photo album.  This particular photo album happened to have a picture of his father, W.D.Gaster, in it.  And considering he was erased from the timeline when he fell into the CORE, well, it proved to Sans that some things could be saved in this room.  No matter what happened to the timeline.  If there was any shred of truth to his nightmare, then he would find it in here.  And he prayed that there was nothing to find.

 

He pulled the photos out and began to look through them.  At first nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  But he realised a reoccurring thing in all of the pictures.

 

His eyelights were white instead of red.  His hoodie was blue instead of black.  His teeth were not sharp, he looked relaxed.  He saw a picture of Papyrus.  His brother was in a white battle body, bright red scarf around his neck.  He was in the picture too, they were both laughing.  They were happy.  Truly happy!

 

_what the fuck.....?_

 

Sans continued looking at the photos.

 

Alphys and Undyne in cosplay, the lizard looking shy and blushing, the fish monster hugging the other to her side proudly and grinning widely.

 

Asgore and Papyrus tending to a garden in front of what looked like a school.  He snorted at what Asgore looked like.  His hair was blonde and he was wearing a pink Hawaiian shirt.  Papyrus was posing heroically as Asgore trimmed a hedge in the skeleton's likeness.

 

All of his friends gathered around Frisk, their face lit up with happiness as they blew out candles on a birthday cake.

 

And everyone looked so happy....and....not like how they look now.....

 

So what happened?

 

Sans looked at the next one and felt his soul shudder.  But the emotion that he felt, he couldn't tell.  Fear?  Sorrow?  Regret?  Pain....

 

He was looking at a picture of himself dressed in a suit.  (Y/n) was in his arms.  She looked just like she did in the dream, stars she was even wearing the dress.  They were covered in cake and grinning like idiots.  The Sans in the picture was looking at her with such affection, that he could've sworn that his eyelights were tiny little white hearts.

 

He felt a lump in his throat and he started to tremble.  There was one more picture.  He didn't want to look at it.  But he knew that he had to.

 

He looked.  

 

Sans felt red tears spill from his sockets.  He held onto the two pictures desperately as he curled in on himself, screaming and roaring his sorrow and so thankful that no one was around to hear him.

 

The final picture was a baby scan, a tiny little skeleton seeming to look right at him from the mother's, from (y/n)'s womb.

 

On the back of the picture, written in comic sans were the words " _my little princess_ ".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh yeah, don't be fooled by a chapter title. some dreams are horrific. poor Sans.


	10. Everything Comes With A Price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans learns that the truth hurts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear these latest chapters are more liked than the funny, cutesy stuff at the beginning. 
> 
> (Sorry it's so short)

Sans didn't know how long he lay there weeping.  Every time he caught a glimpse of the pictures of (y/n) and his baby bones, he wept more.  He didn't even think he was capable of feeling emotions like this.

 

This was the undeniable proof that he had been looking for.  He could usually remember what happened in the timelines.  He tried desperately to find some shred of memory, something that he could cling to.  Something to keep fighting for.

 

Sans could usually remember what happened in the other timelines.  But now his memory was blank.  There was nothing.  And that was what made this worse.  (Y/n) had been his wife and soulmate, they had had a daughter!  And he couldn't remember any of it.

 

He couldn't remember if his little princess ever learned to talk.  All he had was what the nightmare and the photos had shown him.  That thought made him cry more.

 

"Sans."

 

The skeleton flinched at the voice.  He recognised who it was.  But he didn't want to face anyone.  Especially not him.  Not now.  He still felt too fragile, a feeling he never thought he would ever feel.

 

"what do you want, gaster?"

 

It had taken a lot of energy for the former Royal Scientist to appear.  He hated seeing his son like this.  He'd hated not being able to do anything when Sans was suffering so much.  But he had to tell him the truth some time.  It was better that he find out now.

 

"Sans.  I didn't want to cause you this much pain."

 

The skeleton flinched, his eyelights vanishing as he finally turned on his side to face the father he lost long ago.

 

"you sent the nightmare."

 

Gaster nodded sadly.  He knew Sans' pain.  He too knew what it was like to lose a soulmate.  The pain from losing his beloved Gigi would've caused him to fall down if it wasn't for his sons.

 

"You had to find out the truth."

 

Sans let a few more tears escape as he choked back a sob.  As if he needed more confirmation of what had happened.  But he was still confused.  His father seemed to understand the questioning glance that Sans threw his way.  He attempted to explain.

 

"Sans, what happened to you and your soulmate, and your daughter.  It was a terrible thing.  Something that should never have happened."

 

Unsurprisingly this wasn't making Sans feel any better.

 

"There's a reason why you, Papyrus and all of your friends look so different Sans.  Those photos, they are what you all used to look like.  In the original timeline."

 

Sans' eyesockets widened.  Original timeline?  What did Gaster mean by that?  Wasn't this the original timeline?  Gaster shook his head at the unspoken question and Sans felt himself begin to tremble once again.  If this wasn't the original timeline, then what happened to make it like this?

 

"what happened?  if the original timeline was like this," he held up the photos, "then why did it end up like this?  why didn't it reset normally?  what changed?"

 

Gaster sighed as if he was disappointed.

 

"Sans, I'm disappointed.  Have you not figured it out?"

 

The skeleton blinked.  How was he supposed to know?  He was only just finding out about all of this!

 

"It's all your fault, Sans."

 

There was no malice in what was said.  Sadness and disappointment, yes.  But not malice.  But Sans couldn't help but choke at the feeling of being punched in the gut.  How could this be his fault?  If anything it was that demon's fault!

 

Gaster could see him struggling to comprehend this revelation and decided to show mercy.

 

"When your soulmate and daughter were killed in the last timeline, you wished to get stronger so that you could protect them.  **No matter the cost**.  The Underground that you and your brother had grown up in....was safe.  There was no need to get stronger.  Your stats were so low, there was no danger of you being dusted by a monster in that place.  And training alone wouldn't have been enough.  So...."

 

Gaster trailed off.  Sans narrowed his eyes.

 

"what did you do?"

 

The former scientist continued.

 

"The only way for you to get stronger would've been to start killing other monsters yourself.  But it would've been too strange for you alone to suddenly start killing.  So I tweaked the timeline.  Made the Underground a more dangerous place, made it so that monsters had to kill in order to survive and I watched over you and Papyrus.  Watched as you grew stronger.  Of course, doing something as drastic as changing the timeline completely had to come with a price...."

 

Sans stared at his father in horror.

 

"you took my memories...."

 

Gaster flinched at the accusation, but didn't deny it.  It was true.  The changes he'd made were so great that he'd had to remove Sans' previous memories in order for the changes to stick.  He'd only wanted to give his son another chance at having a family.

 

"Everything comes with a price - " he tried to explain weakly.

 

"get out..."

 

Gaster looked up from staring at the floor and for the first time in his life, he felt ashamed.  Sans was clutching the two photos to his soul, his left eye alight with red flames.  He was still crying, but this time the skeleton was snarling and baring his teeth at Gaster, as if warning him to stay away.  Not too far from the truth.

 

He felt the little energy he had begin to fade away, and he could feel himself slowly fading back into the Void.  The last thing he saw was Sans summoning a blaster, the creature opening its jaws and firing in the exact place where he had just been.

 

When Sans saw that Gaster had already gone, he roared in anger.  The blaster whined, feeling the sorrow rolling off its master in waves, before disappearing back to the Void.

 

When Sans saw that he was alone once again, he curled back up on the floor, clutching the photos to his soul and trying to soothe the aching pain he felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in case anyone is confused, I see Gaster as being the skelebros' dad. The Gaster in this chapter is Tale Gaster. If he seems OOC then I'm sorry Dx


	11. In Sickness

He refused to answer Papyrus's questions when he finally teleported home, instead choosing to hide away in his room.

 

He refused to speak to Undyne and Alphys, staying silent and ignoring them completely.

 

He refused to speak to Toriel, not even to pun.

 

He refused to look at Frisk, turning to face the other way when they entered the room.  He didn't care about the upset look on their face.  They still looked too much like the demon.  He didn't want to look them in the eye when they stabbed him in the back again.

 

He completely ignored (y/n)'s attempts to talk to him.  He wouldn't look at her.  Wouldn't acknowledge her in any way.  He flinched away from her touch, and he tried not to cry at the hurt expression on her face.  He tried to ignore her dimming soul and the tears gathering in her eyes.

 

"Are you mad at me?  Did....did I do something wrong?" her voice sounded so small and fragile in the quiet.

 

He didn't answer.

 

He could feel the tears fall from his sockets at how she had automatically assumed she'd done something wrong.  He squeezed his sockets shut as she'd left.  He could hear her holding back her own sobs.

 

Her soul was feeling the pain and sadness that his was, and it didn't know why it was feeling that way.  He prayed that the feeling in her soul wouldn't last.

 

Sans could feel himself falling back to his old habits.  He went to Grillby's.  Drank mustard.  Refused to speak to anyone, not even the fire elemental.  He went home.  He slept.  He had a nightmare.  Toss and turn the rest of the night.  Finally get up.  And repeat.

 

That was how his days went for weeks.

 

His phone buzzed every day, signalling that he had a message.  He knew without looking that it would be (y/n).

 

He ignored them.

 

He didn't want to come across as an ass.  Not after how they first met in this timeline, and especially not now that he knew the truth about why he had been so drawn to her.  Now he couldn't bare to even look at her, let alone talk to her.

 

And it felt like it was breaking his soul in two.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He was alone in his room again.  He had left the photos in his workshop, but the images were seared into his mind.  He felt like he'd cried all the tears that he could.  He still felt an aching in his soul.  Whether that was because of what he learnt or because he hadn't seen (y/n) since she'd stopped by a week ago, he couldn't be sure.

 

She hadn't spoken when she'd entered his room.  She sat on the floor by his bed, didn't reach out to touch him.  Didn't look at him.  She was there for maybe an hour, before finally standing and leaving without another word.

 

She may not have spoken, or done anything.  But her presence alone was comforting even though it made his soul ache.  He appreciated it all the same.

 

Sans heard the door open and felt someone sit on the bed by his feet.  He could tell who it was by the weight.  It somewhat surprised him that they had come alone.  He had the feeling of deja vu.  The last time this person was here, it was to ask him about (y/n).

 

"Sans, I don't know what kinda pity party you're throwing here.  Usually I'd let ya get on with it, but there's something I gotta ask.  Have you heard from (y/n)?"

 

The skeleton slowly turned to face Undyne, blinking owlishly.  Surely after the movie night, they had exchanged numbers with his friend...his soulmate.

 

"she visited a week ago.  haven't heard from her since." his voice raspy from not being used.

 

Undyne frowned and bit her lip.  She knew that Sans was close to (y/n).  Anyone with eyes could see it!  So she had to choose her next words carefully.

 

"She hasn't been responding to anyone's texts."

 

Sans felt his soul go cold.  It couldn't be....The demon couldn't have got to her...could it?  Undyne continued.

 

"We've tried calling her and she's not been picking up.  She always responded before!  We're....we're getting kinda worried..."

 

Undyne stopped as the skeleton in front of her began to tremble.  Sans forced himself to remain calm and he made a shortcut to the first place he could think of where (y/n) could be.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"I'm afraid she's not here dearie."

 

Sans scowled at the spider monster in front of him.  Muffet had known her for longer than he had, that had to mean that they were best friends right?  Surely she must know where his soulmate was.  She couldn't just disappear.

 

"look muffet.  i'm not the only one who's worried about her.  she hasn't been answerin' her phone and the last time anyone....when did you last see her?"

 

Muffet blinked and frowned as she placed one of her hands on her chin.

 

"It must've been about a week ago.  It's...unusual that she hasn't stopped by in so long...."

 

Sans nodded.

 

"that was the last we saw her too."

 

Muffet's eyes widened then as she took in what Sans said.  If she hadn't heard from (y/n) in a week, and if Sans and his friends hadn't heard from her in that time, what happened?  Where did she go?  And more importantly, is she okay?

 

Muffet quickly checked her phone, looking at something and writing it down on a piece of paper before picking up a piece of strawberry shortcake (y/n's favourite; Sans remembered) and placing it in a box.

 

"Here.  This is (y/n)'s address and her favourite cake.  Check up on her for me, she's one of my best customers....and a good friend..."

 

Sans took hold of the box carefully and looked at the paper, nodding gratefully to the spider monster before taking another shortcut to what he hoped was (y/n)'s place.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sans was pleasantly surprised to see that the house wasn't that far from his own.  And now that he knew where (y/n) lived, he could come and visit her.  If this was the right house.  If she was okay....

 

He walked up the path and knocked on the door.  He started tapping his foot impatiently.  The door opened.

 

He was greeted by a scowling (y/n), damn if looks could kill he would be dust!  She was wearing a grey hoodie and black skinny jeans.  She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.

 

"What?"

 

He blinked.  He hadn't been expecting her to be so....hostile?  Venomous?  But why shouldn't she?  He had been a complete ass to her once again.  She may have had a few shreds of patience in her soul, but patience could run out.  And it looks like hers finally did.

 

Still, he had to try.

 

"er, ya okay sweetheart?"

 

Her lip curled in a sneer.

 

"Who the fuck are you calling 'sweetheart?'"

 

He flinched.  Okay, should've expected that.  She can't be mad forever though.  She's his soulmate.  He just had to keep trying.

 

"um...i always call ya sweetheart...i can stop if ya want me to (y/n)..."

 

Her eyes widened in shock then, her mouth hanging open in slight mortification.  The anger completely left her eyes.

 

"Oh my god.  You thought I was (y/n)!  Oh shit, this is so awkward.  Um...fuck.  I guess you're Sans then?"

 

Sans didn't quite know what to say.  He nodded mutely.

 

The girl in front of him started to look guilty.

 

"Shit, I'm sorry.  I should've figured it out.  I mean, when (y/n) said you were a skeleton I just thought you were, like really skinny or something.  I didn't think she actually meant a skeleton...Er sorry again, you must be really confused.  I'm Maya, (y/n)'s sister."

 

The girl, Maya, held out a hand for him to shake.  He stared at it a moment before finally shaking it.  Her hands were slightly bigger than (y/n)'s.  His soul ached again at how much he missed her, and reminded him of his urgency.

 

"um you look just like her...." he trailed off stupidly.  Apparently his mind had other ideas.

 

Maya rolled her eyes and grinned sheepishly.

 

"We should do.  We're triplets."

 

Sans felt his sockets widen.

 

"triplets?  there's another one of you?!"

 

Maya laughed.

 

"Yes and no.  There's me, (y/n) and our brother, Liam."

 

He didn't remember seeing Maya in his nightmare.  Had she been there and he'd just not noticed?  (Y/n) did have a brother in the dream, and they had looked remarkably similar.  Her brother was way taller though.  But she was naturally very petite....Maya looked to be taller than her too.  Perhaps she was the runt?  He shook his head.  His soulmate wasn't a dog.

 

"er, so look.  it's been about a week since we've seen or heard from (y/n).  we've been gettin' kinda worried.  she okay?"

 

(Y/n)'s sister looked at him, as if trying to figure out if he was telling the truth.  Then she opened the door for him.

 

"She hasn't been answering her phone because I don't let her use any technology besides the TV when she's like this.  You'll have to excuse how she looks right now.  She's not at her best..."

 

Maya led him down a short hallway and into a living room.  There on the couch was a very ill looking (y/n).  She was pale, bundled up in blankets and clutching the white rabbit to her chest.  He was glad it was bringing her some comfort.  There was a small glass of water on the coffee table and a bucket lay close by.  She'd definitely been sick.  She looked a little dazed, just like how she did the night she'd been "sleepwalking".

 

She turned her head towards the two who had entered the room, her eyes lighting up slightly when she recognised Sans.

 

"Sans!"

 

He almost flinched.  Her voice sounded even smaller than before, and it was slightly croaky.  More proof that she'd been vomiting at some point.

 

"You're lucky.  Liam stopped by yesterday to see how she was doing.  She didn't even recognise him." Maya said.

 

(Y/n) blinked and tilted her head.

 

"Liam was here?"

 

"I told you this morning, remember?" Maya said gently.

 

Sans didn't know what to say.  The fact that she hadn't recognised her own brother was one thing, but to not realise he'd even been here after being told was terrifying.  Was she going to forget him?!

 

He turned his panicked eyelights towards (y/n)'s sister, she seemed to catch on to his unspoken question and smiled comfortingly.

 

"She doesn't have a memory problem.  And yes, she will remember you and everything you've done.  It's just stuff happening right now she'll have trouble remembering."

 

"why?"

 

(Y/n) seemed to tune them out, going back to watching Wreck-It Ralph.  She blinked slowly and snuggled down.

 

Maya sighed and began to whisper.

 

"(Y/n) has epilepsy."

 

Sans furrowed his brow in confusion, so she continued.

 

"It's a sorta problem with the brain.  Think of it like a circuit.  The brain is the battery, the nervous system is the wires and the actions you want to do are like a light bulb.  If the battery has a problem with it then the circuit is gonna break.  Understand?"

 

Sans felt himself panic.

 

"she's gonna die?!"

 

Maya literally facepalmed.

 

"No moron.  Okay, let's try something else.  Okay.  Say you have a computer with a faulty circuit board.  The circuit allows the computer to work most of the time, but every now and then it has to do a shut down and occasionally forgets what it was you were doing at the time of the shut down.  Apply that to (y/n)."

 

He tried to incorporate both analogies.  If he saw (y/n)'s brain as the faulty circuit board and her body as the computer which would shut down due to these faults, then that meant....

 

That her body would occasionally fall unconscious for a limited time.  When she would regain consciousness she would be forgetful (like a computer was slow after a restart) and so she also ended up sick as a result.

 

"is there anything we can do to stop it?" he asked.

 

Maya shook her head.

 

"She takes medication.  It works pretty much all the time.  But it can be triggered.  Most people with epilepsy are triggered by flashing lights.  Not (y/n) though.  Her's is triggered by lack of sleep.  She hasn't been getting much lately..."

 

Sans felt guilty.  He felt somewhat responsible.  How many nights had his soulmate stayed up because of him?  And now she's sick.  He could feel his soul calling out to her's, yearning to comfort her in her time of need.

 

Instead he quietly made his way to the couch and sat down next to her.  As (y/n) looked at him blankly, Sans opened his arms shyly.  Quietly begging her to let him be a source of comfort like she had been for him not so long ago.

 

She smiled and crawled into his arms, snuggling into his chest comfortably and closing her eyes in content as he wrapped the blankets around her, and then brought his arms around to wrap around her protectively.  He ran his bony fingers up and down her back slowly, she began to fall asleep.

 

Maya grinned and waggled her eyebrows at Sans.  He just scowled and looked down at the girl in his arms, his features softening with the affection that he was no longer denying he had.

 

He knew he had to tell her the truth sometime.

 

But for now, he was happy to have her in his arms....again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are lots of Reader/Sans fanfics with the Reader being depressed/suicidal/has an eating problem and other problems. I've only ever found one fanfic where the Reader had epilepsy.   
> Sorry if the description of it that Maya uses is a little confusing. Usually the analogy works when I try and explain it to other people who ask. If anyone wants me to explain in more detail then just send a message :P
> 
> (lack of sleep is an actual trigger by the way)


	12. Calm Before The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans sees another side to Reader.

Sans was usually pretty good at telling when people were getting angry.

 

It was an ability that was necessary in the Underground.  With his former home being so violent and dangerous, Sans and all the other monsters had to learn when they had made someone angry.  Sans and each one of his friends had to learn the hard way, had to learn to accept the consequences.  Had to learn to avoid/take their punishment without being injured too much, or at the very least killed.

 

Being the judge of the Underground had allowed Sans to see many monsters in this state.  As such, he had learnt to become an excellent judge of the state their anger was in.  He knew just how to push someone's buttons, to send them into a blind rage with the minimum effort.

 

He knew what each monster would do when they were angry.  How they would react, and just how to avoid the attacks they would send his way.  He would usually be laughing the whole time.

 

Sans especially knew the warning signs for Papyrus and Grillby.  Grillby's flames would start deepening in colour and letting off smoke the angrier he got, and Papyrus would grind his teeth and start glowing red from the anger he was feeling.  Those were the kind of signs that the skeleton looked out for.  Those were the signs that told him that he was treading on thin ice.  Those were the signs that told him to stop whatever it was he doing to annoy this particular person.

 

And so he had been safe so far.

 

Of course, these things never last.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sans didn't know how or when it started.

 

There were no warning signs as far as he noticed.  Muffet begged to differ.  She had noticed how Sans now treated (y/n).  He seemed to be wary.  As if he was watching for something.  And he wasn't exactly being subtle with how he asked her how she was feeling every time she yawned.  She also noticed how female monsters had been staring at Sans and winking flirtatiously whenever he was with (y/n).  Muffet wasn't the only one who noticed.

 

The two friends were currently sitting in Muffet's cafe.  Sans had yet to take his soulmate to Grillby's.  She seemed nervous about going and he didn't quite know why, nor would she tell him.

 

Sans had ordered a black coffee and a hot chocolate for (y/n).  He asked her which cake she wanted that day.  She shrugged.

 

"Don't want any cake."

 

Sans' smile faltered slightly.  His human...didn't want cake?  But...

 

"but you always have cake..."

 

She shrugged again.  She was so indifferent today....it was....unnerving.  He didn't like it.  She spoke again, quietly.

 

"Just not hungry..."

 

Sans almost gaped.

 

"but....there's always room for cake-" he tried to persuade her to eat weakly, using the very words she had used on him once.

 

(Y/n) scrunched her nose and shook her head.

 

"Not today."

 

He didn't know what to say.  This had never happened.  She always had cake!  It was a weakness of hers, she couldn't resist it!  Was she still ill?  He was just about to ask her when their order arrived.

 

For a few minutes there was an uncomfortable silence.  Something that had also never happened between the two.  Even Muffet raised a brow at Sans when he looked her way; he had shrugged, face blank and clearly not knowing what was wrong.  The spider monster had rolled her eyes and gone back to baking and directing her spiders.

 

During all this, (y/n) kept her gaze down.  She stared into her mug and stirred it idly with the spoon provided.

 

Sans couldn't stand it any longer.

 

"okay sweetheart, it's obvious ya not alright.  what's goin' on?"

 

(Y/n) stopped stirring the spoon and looked up to meet Sans' gaze.  He almost flinched at her look.  It reminded him a little too much of how Maya had looked at him.

 

"Word of advice Sans.  If you have to ask a girl what's wrong, it's usually because the person asking has been an asshole."

 

Sans flinched.  Okay.  He could take a hint.  So this was about how he treated her after he found out the truth.  He could deal with this.  No problem.  Until she continued.

 

"And just so you know, just because I'm epileptic it doesn't mean you have to treat me like glass!  I'm not gonna break or have a seizure every time I yawn or am a little tired, you ass!"

 

And with that, (y/n) stood up and grabbed her jacket.  She slammed some money down on the table and stormed out of the cafe, leaving a very bewildered Sans staring blankly in her direction and wondering what the hell just happened.

 

A pink bunny monster and a mouse monster sitting together who had watched the whole thing, started giggling hysterically.

 

"Looks like the little human is a little too sensitive," the bunny giggled.  They both laughed louder, proceeding to poke fun at (y/n), her clothes and hair and even trying to imitate her voice, resulting in more giggles (and eventually getting kicked out by Muffet for insulting her friend).

 

Sans could only think one thing.

 

She never touched her hot chocolate.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 He gave her a few days to cool off.  (Y/n) may have a little patience in her soul, but it wasn't a lot.  He was surprised that she had been patient that long.

 

When he finally had the courage to face her again, he went to her house.  She was wearing a t-shirt that said "Sarcastic comment loading.  Please wait".  If Sans was to go by the t-shirt and the unimpressed look on her face, then she was either having a really bad day, or just wasn't in a very forgiving mood.  Possibly both.  But he literally couldn't live without her, just spending a few days away from her was killing him!  So he had to try.

 

He apologised to her for acting like such an ass.  Explained that the night she'd slept over, he'd had a terrible nightmare that showed her dying in front of him.  He'd been having nightmares like that ever since and he'd been terrified of them coming to life while he was awake, which wasn't far from the truth.

 

He did conveniently leave out the details including the fact that they were actually soulmates, married in another timeline and also had a daughter.  That was another can of worms that could be opened another time.

 

At hearing about his nightmares, (y/n)'s eyes started to lose their steely gaze, and her expression softened.  Sans took this as a good sign and found the strength to continue.

 

He started to explain that when no one had heard from her in a while, he had grown worried.  Had feared that his nightmares had come true.  He was relieved to hear from her sister that she was okay, but his fears had returned when hearing about the epilepsy.

 

As much as Sans hated to admit it, it scared him.  He was scared that it would affect her while the two were hanging out and he wouldn't know what to do.  What if, in his lack of knowledge and complete helplessness, (y/n) died?  He wouldn't be able to live with himself!

 

(Y/n) just shook her head, smiling gently.

 

"You bonehead.  Why didn't you just ask me what to do?"

 

Sans blinked.  It had honestly never occurred to him.

 

(Y/n) spent the rest of the afternoon trying to teach him what to do if she ever had a seizure while with him.  Soon he was able to put her in the recovery position (and was feeling pretty proud of himself).  She just giggled.

 

His soul hummed and purred.

 

It felt so good to hear her laugh again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It was the next day.  Sans had invited (y/n) to his house to play video games.  She had brought one of her own.  He almost laughed at it when he saw it.  He should've known that Kingdom Hearts would be one of her favourite games.  She loved fantasy and Disney.

 

To make up for the "argument" that they'd had, he decided to let (y/n) play her game first.  He could wait.  Besides, watching her lean from side to side as if physically trying to change the outcome of battles was downright adorable.

 

"You should see me when I'm playing a racing game."

 

He had raised a brow bone at that, hardly believing it for a second.  But she went on to explain that she had a racing game where the cars had guns and you could launch explosives at the racers in front of you.  He begged her to bring this game next time, she grinned wickedly.

 

The awkwardness was gone.  Everything was back to normal.  Everything was how it should be.

 

(Y/n) was in the middle of some boss fight against a guy with long silver hair and a sword that was way longer than what would be considered a fair fight.  Sans' first thought was that the guy must've been compensating for something.  He snickered and was about to say this to his friend.

 

But he saw the look of pure concentration on her face.  He'd only ever seen that look of determination on Frisk.  He looked at the fight curiously.

 

(Y/n) had one health bar, the ability to heal and a sword that was way shorter than her opponent.  Long-assed sword guy had his long-assed sword, no healing ability but a shit load of health bars.  He grimaced.  His friend had just set herself up for disappointment.  This wasn't a fair fight!  There was no way she would be able to take this guy down!

 

But as Sans watched in silence, he heard her mutter.

 

"Come on.  Die already, you fucker."

 

He would've laughed if it hadn't sounded so strange coming out of (y/n)'s mouth.  That and he didn't want to disturb her.  Because the more she quietly cursed her opponent, the more she started winning.

 

It was an odd strategy really.  Curse her opponent, get a few hits in, retreat while he attacked and then heal if necessary.  But slowly and surely, it started to work.

 

The last health bar.  (Y/n) had managed to get the guy down to the last health bar.  Just a few more hits and she would've defeated him!  His sweetheart was going to do it!

 

SLAM!

 

(Y/n) and Sans both jumped as the door slammed open and Papyrus stormed in.  Obviously in a bad mood from the rain, judging by his soaked armour and the ever present scowl on his skull.

 

It hadn't been long, but the distraction proved to be enough.  As the two friends turned back to the TV, they were faced with the LOAD screen, the hero of the game floating in darkness as if waiting for the player to decide what to do.  Sans couldn't help but notice the irony.

 

(Y/n) stared in slight shock.  She gripped the controller tightly, mouth slightly hanging open.  When her eye started to twitch, that's when Sans realised that maybe she was not okay.

 

"er, sweetheart.  it's okay!  ya can try again later and-"

 

He cut himself off.

 

She slowly turned her head to face him, like one of those creepy ghosts in the horror movies they had watched on Halloween.  Her face was like thunder as she glared furiously at him.  That was when Sans realised that what he had experienced in the cafe, was not (y/n)'s true anger.

 

That was the calm before the storm.  It looked like the storm had finally arrived.

 

"PAPYRUS!" she screeched.

 

That one word sounded like nails on a chalkboard.  His brother stormed in and sneered at the two.  (Y/n) sent a glare back, baring her teeth and practically hissing and snarling.  Oh god, this was really happening.  This was a thing.  He wasn't imagining this and oh look, she's standing up!  Oh no, she'd marched up to Papyrus.

 

Sans was genuinely terrified for his sweetheart at this point.  This was going to get out of hand.  He had to do something!

 

He didn't get the chance to intervene.

 

(Y/n) grabbed the scarf around Papyrus' neck and pulled his face down roughly so that he could make eye contact.  It threw the taller skeleton off guard for a moment but he quickly tried to regain his composure.  Until he saw the expression of pure rage on the girl's face.

 

"Papyrus." She seethed, voice quiet.

 

Neither skeleton moved.

 

"Do you have any idea what you have done?  For months I have tried to defeat Sephiroth in that stupid fucking fight, and each time I lose.  I FINALLY GET WITHIN AN INCH OF KILLING THE FUCKER AND YOU FUCKING GET ME KILLED!  WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"

 

Papyrus' jaw dropped open.  Sans' eyelights vanished and he gritted his teeth.  Oh no.  He just knew his brother was going to hurt her.  There was no way he would stand for this.  So why wasn't Papyrus doing anything?

 

He began to stammer.

 

"Nee-Need I Remind You Hu-Human, That Thi-This Is My Home!  Y-You Cannot Just-"

 

"IF YOU WERE IN MY FUCKING HOUSE TRYING TO KILL SOMEONE THEN WOULDN'T YOU BE PISSED OFF IF I DISTRACTED YOU AND YOU WERE KILLED AS A RESULT?!"

 

Papyrus gaped.

 

"That-That Would Be Different-"

 

"IT'S THE FUCKING SAME YOU JACKASS!"

 

Sans couldn't believe the sight in front of him.  All the years he had been bossed around by his brother, and this human girl who was tiny compared to him had reduced Papyrus, a feared killing machine, to a stammering, rattling pile of bones within a minute.

 

"YOU HAD BETTER GET THE FUCK OUT OF THIS HOUSE!  I WANT YOU TO GET ME BEN AND JERRY'S ICE CREAM, AND IT BETTER BE CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIE FLAVOUR!  AND IF YOU COME BACK HERE WITHOUT IT THEN THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY!  UNDERSTAND!"

 

The skeleton nodded.  (Y/n) let go of his scarf and he practically ran out of the door.  Sans stared at his soulmate.  She breathed deeply for about ten seconds before rejoining Sans in front of the TV.

 

"er...what was that?"

 

He flinched slightly as she turned towards him quickly, fixing him with a stony glare.  She shook her head, mumbling something about "time of month" and how he "wouldn't understand".

 

They decided to play Call of Duty instead of retrying the battle.  It scared Sans how accurate (y/n)'s shooting was now.

 

When Papyrus came back he held out the ice cream and a spoon out to the girl at arm's length.  She put down the controller and grabbed the items.  She ate it all.

 

When she'd muttered something about still being hungry, Sans ordered a pizza.  While waiting and playing Call of Duty, (y/n) seemed to slowly revert back to her normal self.  The skeleton monster began to relax once again.  And then there was a knock on the door.  

 

A cat monster was stood on the doorstep when Sans opened the door.  She was holding the pizza and grinned at him.

 

"Hey Sans!  Didn't know you lived here!  I have my own place now," she lowered her eyelids slightly and smiled.  "We could be together properly now, without any interruptions..." she trailed off suggestively.

 

Sans grabbed the pizza and slammed the door, face glowing. 

 

The last thing he needed was Kin dredging up things from the past.  Back in the Underground, Sans was indeed known as a ladies man.  But there was always one monster he found himself gravitating to: Kin.  She was good at seducing him.  At one point he thought that maybe she was his soulmate.  But then the resets started.  Then the barrier broke.  Then they saw the surface.  Then he found (y/n).  And with finding his true soulmate, he had forgotten Kin.  

 

That was a little too close.  Hopefully slamming the door in her face would help get the message across that he was no longer interested.  

 

He breathed a sigh of relief.  He turned around and was met by (y/n).  Her face was completely expressionless.  She was out the door before he could say anything.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Sans had been so unnerved by what he had seen from his human friend, that he did the only thing he could think of.

 

He told Toriel, Muffet and Maya separately.  He was met with the same thing each time.

 

"You're an idiot."

 

Well, it may not have been said in so many words, but Sans was able to get that message from what they had said.

 

Toriel and Muffet hadn't been any help in the end.  Maya had said one thing.

 

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

 

He didn't quite know what that meant.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"You're going to have to tell him eventually."

 

(Y/n) pouted, wallowing in self-pity as she hugged the rabbit Sans had won her at the carnival.  She wanted to throw it across the room.  But she couldn't, not when it brought her so much comfort.

 

"What's the point?  He won't feel the same way.  And why go for a dull little human like me when he can have any monster that he wants?  Like Pizza-Cat-Girl..."

 

Maya passed the ice cream to her sister.  The movie they had put on had now been forgotten so they could have their annual "girl-talk".

 

"Have you seen the way he looks at you?  (Y/n) I'm telling you!  That skeleton likes you!"

 

(Y/n) dug her spoon into the ice cream, feeling her eyes water.

 

"You read the text Maya.  'You're the best friend anyone could ever have'.  That's what he said.  He friend-zoned me!  And that cat monster was pretty familiar with him.  She even said something about having their own place and not having any interruptions!  It doesn't get much clearer than that..."

 

Her vision blurred and she felt a lump in her throat.  She could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks.  She didn't want to cry...

 

Her sister saw her distress.  She grabbed the ice cream and set it on the coffee table before gathering (y/n) in her arms, as if trying to protect her from the world.

 

"Maya?"

 

Maya looked down at her little sister, who stared up at her with big watery eyes.

 

"Everyone always says that love is such a wonderful thing....so why does it hurt so much?  Why does my heart feel like it's breaking in two?"

 

Maya didn't know what to say.  So she just hugged (y/n) tighter, hoping that her presence would bring her some comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the part at the end with Reader and Maya was originally meant to happen way into the future. Guess I hit the fast forward button by accident. That seems to happen a lot. Whoops xD


	13. At The Beginning Of The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans tells Reader the truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People seem to like the angsty stuff more than the cutesy stuff I originally started posting. I honestly had a lot of trouble with this chapter. I've not only been busy, but I really didn't know where I wanted it to go. I'm literally improvising this whole thing! So I hope you all like this chapter...
> 
> P.S. Reader is the kind of person who would rather let someone be happy with someone else and try to not let her feelings get in the way. She would rather cherish a friendship than risk it by blurting out her feelings :P

"hey muffet!  ya seen (y/n)?"

 

The spider monster frowned, sighing deeply.  This was getting ridiculous.

 

"I'm afraid you've just missed her, dearie.  I don't know where she was going either."

 

Sans ran his phalanges across his skull.  He was at a complete loss.  Ever since the day she stormed out, she'd....well he wouldn't say she was ignoring him.  She was too kind for that.  But she'd been acting very aloof, and now seemed to be going out of her way to avoid him.  It was tearing his soul apart.

 

He didn't allow Muffet to continue as he left the bakery.

 

For the first time in a very long time, Sans went back to the park.  The last time he'd been here was when he was looking for (y/n), still trying to find out her name and apologise for being an asshole.  He didn't have any luck that time, but maybe this time he would.  He prayed that he would.

 

The stars answered his prayers.

 

As fate would have it, his soulmate was sitting on the same bench where he used to stargaze.  She was wearing an olive green coat with brown fur around the hood, a scarf made up of different shades of pink and purple was wrapped around her neck.  Although at first glance she looked quite cozy, Sans could see she was shivering slightly.  It took every ounce of willpower not to wrap her up in his arms and keep her warm.

 

Despite what he had thought, (y/n) didn't have anything from Muffet's with her.  No hot chocolate, no cake, no croissant.

 

No cookies....

 

Now that Sans looked a little closer, (y/n) seemed a little....thinner.  Pale and definitely more tired than usual.  Was she alright?  Was she going to have a seizure soon?

 

The skeleton shook his skull slightly.  He couldn't let himself think about that.  Surely, Maya wouldn't dream of letting her sister go outside if there was a chance that she could have a seizure.  (Y/n) was probably just having an off day.  Hell, he knew he was like a zombie most days when he first woke up.

 

Slowly, Sans approached his friend, sitting down beside her silently.  He continued to stay silent, allowing her to speak if she wanted to.

 

"So when were you going to tell me about Pizza-Cat-Girl?"

 

Sans whipped his head towards her, eyelights widening slightly.  Was that what this was all about?

 

He opened his mouth to speak but got cut off.

 

"Are we friends?"

 

He blinked.  Why would she ask that?  Had he not made it clear how much he cared for her?

 

"sweetheart, of course we're friends!"

 

She finally looked at him.  The look on her face almost broke his heart.

 

"Then why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend?  Did you think I wouldn't be happy for you or something?"

 

Sans blanched.  What the fuck.

 

"girlfriend?  she's not my girlfriend-"

 

"She seemed very certain that you're together."

 

Sans shook his head.

 

"(y/n) sweetheart, me and kin, we had an on and off relationship in the underground.  nothing more, nothing less.  yeah, at some point i thought we were meant to be but then the barrier broke!  i know for sure that we are not soulmates!  we're not together!"

 

(Y/n) looked confused then and furrowed her eyebrows.

 

"But then, why is she posting your relationship all over the Undernet?"

 

Sans felt himself grit his teeth.  He could feel his eyelights vanish.

 

"what?"

 

(Y/n) pulled out her phone and logged on to the Undernet.

 

"She's been posting all sorts of stuff.  Saying how great it is that you can finally be together, how you're gonna be moving in soon.  She's uploading pictures and everything."

 

Sans snatched the phone off (y/n) and looked on the social media site.  Sure enough, on the Undernet, Kin had started posting about some kind of imaginary relationship that the two had been having since monsters had come to the Surface.  Complete with photos of Sans and the cat monster doing cutesy couple things.  Sans' friends had retaliated obviously in the comments, saying how easy it was to see how photo-shopped it all was, and how it was all a pack of lies.  But to someone who didn't truly know Sans.....this would look real.

 

He'd been staying away from the Undernet.  There was no wonder he had no idea this was going on.  His friends must've been trying to take care of it while he was throwing a pity party.  He'd wondered why some monsters had looked at him strangely the few times he had gone out.

 

"i'm gonna kill that fuckin' bitch."

 

He was about to get up and go and find Kin, try and set her straight and get her to take it all down.  (Y/n) stopped him by grabbing his sleeve.

 

"Sans."

 

The no-nonsense tone of her voice made him sit back down.

 

"I thought I could be okay with it.  That I could be strong.  But I - " she sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

 

"Whatever you see me as, mistress, bit on the side, guilty pleasure.  I don't care what you call it.  But I want no part of it Sans.  Not when it hurts so much.  I think it may be best if we just go our separate ways for a while..."

 

Sans eyelights widened.  That was as good as a confession as he was going to get!  He wasn't with Kin.  That much was true.  But he had to tell (y/n) the truth about the timelines now.  If he didn't, then he could lose (y/n) forever!  And he didn't want to have to go through that again, he was going to fight tooth and nail to keep her.

 

"(y/n) wait!  i need ta tell ya something."

 

She looked at him curiously, one eyebrow raised.

 

"we were together in another universe."

 

Her face went blank.  He continued before he lost his courage.

 

"in another universe, we were soulmates.  not just that, we were married!"

 

He took both of her small hands in his, gazing into her eyes hopefully as she stared back.

 

"we-we were married for about two years and we had a baby!  we had a daughter!  she was the most beautiful little baby bones.  she looked just like ya sweetheart! but - "

 

(Y/n) pulled her hands away from his, trembling slightly.  Sans moved to put his hand on her shoulder.

 

"sweetheart - ?"

 

She smacked his hand away.

 

"Don't touch me."

 

He could feel his soul whining, begging for his mate to accept him.  He could see her soul dimming frightfully.  Oh shit, he could see cracks!  Fuck, was it too soon?  He could hear her crying.  She finally turned to him, revealing her tears and the pure fury and sorrow that shone in her eyes, making them look like glass.

 

"Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?!" she snarled.

 

Sans couldn't speak.  He felt himself shaking.

 

"Did you speak to Maya about that?  Did you and 'Kin' think it would be a good idea for a prank?  That's not funny!"

 

He genuinely didn't know what she was talking about.

 

"sweetheart - "

 

"No!  Don't call me that!"

 

She was standing and staring down at him, practically shaking with fury.

 

"All I have ever wanted is to get married to the one I love, and to have a family.  To be a mother!  I would love to have a child!  I thought you were my friend," her voice cracked.

 

"I thought that you would be more sympathetic, when I eventually told you!  But instead, you make fun of me?!"

 

(Y/n) wiped at her eyes, determined not to show how upset she was and failing.

 

"Do you have any idea what it's like to want nothing more than to be a parent, only to have that snatched away from you before you're even given the chance?!"

 

The skeleton stared at her, confused by her words.

 

"I can't physically have children, you dick!  Everyone was right about you Sans.  You really are heartless and cruel!"

 

She ran from him then, him reaching out slightly to stop her.  But then he looked around.

 

Like their first meeting, they had gained the attention of both humans and monsters.  Both species were glaring at him, daring him to follow after her.

 

He teleported back to his room

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

That night her words came back to haunt him.

 

_"I can't physically have children, you dick!"_

 

His mind automatically conjured the images of the daughter he had in the other timeline.  He didn't understand.  (Y/n) had been able to have children in that timeline.  So why....

 

He felt his soul lurch painfully and he felt himself go cold as he remembered what Gaster said.

 

_**"Everything comes with a price."** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finding chapter titles that relate to a chapter literally kills me every time ;_;
> 
> Reader's main trait may be kindness, but even she has her limits.


	14. I Miss You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You never know how much you love something until it's gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by Clean Bandit ft Julia Michaels - I Miss You. Which I have been listening to on repeat to help get me inspired for this chapter.
> 
>  
> 
> this chapter was so hard to write ;_;

The next morning Sans was ripped from his fitful sleep by none other than Papyrus.

 

The taller skeleton had grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and literally lifted him from the bed, carrying him suspended in the air.  Sans didn't make any move to stop him.  His brother usually was unstoppable when he did this kind of thing.  He was feeling too miserable, pathetic and full of self-pity to even think about trying to stop him anyway.

 

When he was dumped unceremoniously on to the couch, Sans' sockets widened in dread.

 

_oh no..._

 

Not another intervention.

 

He glanced around the room.  Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys and yep.  Even Toriel, Frisk and Flowey were present.  Aww hell.  This was going to be even worse than the last one, he could tell.  Sans groaned, although whether it was in annoyance or defeat even he couldn't tell.

 

He managed to get a glimpse of himself in the mirror.  Wow, he really did look like shit.  He could've used the bags under his eyes as luggage for when he went on vacation.  There were faint red marks on his skull.  He must've been crying in his sleep again.  He'd been doing that ever since he found out the truth about his connection with (y/n).  And now....

 

It suddenly hit him, and Sans had to physically hold his chest to get a hold of the pain that shot through his soul.

 

He'd really screwed this up.  (Y/n) was never going to talk to him again.  Not after this.  Everyone had limits.  And telling her about the timelines had clearly pushed her to her limit.  No, that didn't seem right.  It seemed to be a number of things that she'd been battling with.  One of them seemed to be her feelings for him.

 

Sans wasn't completely sure if she did feel the same as he did.  But what she'd said in the park seemed to imply that she did.  She didn't appear to have a problem with it.  The problem seemed to be with Kin.  He briefly wondered if the whole Undernet situation was under control.

 

He fell onto his side, not caring that he was pretty much taking up the whole couch, and proceeded to stare at everyone in the room.  They all looked...concerned?

 

Toriel cleared her throat and started.

 

"Sans, we know something has happened.  But we cannot help unless you tell us."

 

Damn Toriel and her stupid motherly ways.  She always knew when someone wasn't quite right and always knew how to drag it out of them.  He suddenly found himself very thankful that he didn't see her acting as a queen in the Underground.  She had left Asgore long before he was born, so he only knew her as "the lady behind the door" until the barrier broke.  She had proven once or twice that she could be more intimidating than the king under the right circumstances.  He didn't have any desire to have that turned on him.

 

He groaned again, grabbing a pillow and burying his skull in it.  Hiding from his friends and trying to ignore the fact that this was indeed happening.

 

"Sans." Toriel tried again, sounding more stern.

 

"you wouldn't understand..." he whispered.

 

The room had been so quiet when he spoke that no one had trouble hearing him, even if his voice was slightly muffled from the pillow.

 

"Then help us to understand."

 

He gulped and peeked out from behind the cushion.  Everyone was still staring at him, his brother growing increasingly concerned.  That in itself was a blessing in disguise.

 

He couldn't tell them the truth.  Frisk and Flowey would understand, maybe.  But there's no way that the others would believe him about the timelines.  He would sound insane.  So what to do?  Well, there may be a way to tell them what happened between him and (y/n).  He didn't necessarily have to tell the whole truth though.  They didn't need to know about the timelines, just....Okay so maybe this would be pretty hard.  He would have to choose his words carefully.

 

"it's (y/n)."

 

The former queen raised an eyebrow.  His brother scowled and began to march toward the door.

 

"I KNEW THAT WENCH WOULD BE TROUBLE!  WHAT HAS SHE DONE SANS?  I MAY HATE YOUR PITIFUL EXISTENCE BUT IT'S **MY** JOB TO HATE YOU AND MAKE YOU MISERABLE!  SHE HAS NO RIGHT TAKING THAT JOB FROM ME!"

 

Sans shuddered, a phantom memory of what happened to (y/n) in the first timeline flashing before his eyes briefly and his bones began to rattle.

 

Undyne stood then, grabbing the taller skeleton's arm and stopping him from leaving.  Eventually the rattling bones began to quiet down.

 

"she didn't do anything.  it was all my fault."

 

"What do you mean Sans?" asked Toriel.

 

Sans finally lifted his skull and stared at her, the lights in his sockets had vanished and red tears were starting to form once again.

 

"she's my soulmate..."

 

The room was so silent that you could hear a pin dropped.  Papyrus' jaw had dropped open in disbelief, staring at Sans.  He didn't seem to be disgusted, but he didn't look too thrilled either.  For some reason, Papyrus couldn't find it in himself to be....well he didn't know what to think.  He had said that he approved of Sans making the human his mate, but a soulmate?!  That was big!

 

Undyne's face broke into a giant grin.

 

"Alright punk!  It's about time you two got together!"

 

Alphys was smirking, quietly muttering to herself.  Flowey grumbled and handed over some money to Frisk, who was giggling and waggling their eyebrows at Sans.  He flushed, embarrassed at the attention.  Toriel was smiling warmly before turning to Alphys.

 

"I told you, didn't I Alphys?"

 

The lizard monster nodded, still smirking.  She'd started writing something down in a notebook, possibly sketching something too.  Sans wasn't quite sure he wanted to find out what was in there.  He had a horrible feeling it was some kind of fan fiction or hentai.

 

"you knew?!"

 

Alphys scoffed.  The goat monster turned back to him.

 

"Alphys and I managed to pick up on it on Halloween.  You two just seemed so in sync with each other.  It was unusual considering you'd only known each other for a matter of weeks.  The only explanation was that you were soulmates.  Of course, we weren't completely certain.  But you've just erased our doubts!  We should invite (y/n) over and celebrate!  This is such wonderful news!"

 

Toriel clapped her hands together and smiled warmly, clearly starting to mentally plan a celebration to make the announcement.  Sans buried his skull in the pillow once again and hugged it to him, letting out a pained sob that turned into a whine.

 

This caught everyone's attention and the excited chatter died down.  Before anyone could say anything, there was a furious banging at the door.  No one seemed to know what to do.  Finally Toriel stood and answered the door.  None of them were expecting a scowling young man on the other side.

 

Sans managed to catch a glimpse of the young man, and instantly felt his non-existent stomach drop.

 

_oh shit.  oh fuck.  not now!_

 

The young man stormed into the house before anyone could even protest.  He marched right up to Sans and grabbed him by his collar (not unlike the way Papyrus did).  Sans didn't stop him as the man punched him right in the face.  The other monsters and Frisk started, as if to stop him.  There was no need.  The man dropped Sans back onto the couch and shook his wrist.

 

"Welp, my hand is probably broken.  But I regret nothing." he said, still shaking his hand.

 

"Who the hell are you?!" shouted Undyne.

 

"Liam." the man said.

 

At the questioning looks from everyone in the room, Sans stopped rubbing the small crack that had appeared on his skull and spoke up.

 

"he's (y/n)'s brother."  He had recognised him from the dream.  The young man who had walked (y/n) down the aisle.  Not that anyone else knew this.

 

At this, Toriel's eyes lit up and she was going to tell Liam (who looked remarkably similar to y/n now that they were looking, only way taller) the news about Sans and (y/n).  Until she saw Sans desperately motion to her, silently begging her not to say anything.  This raised a few eyebrows but everyone kept quiet, turning back to (y/n)'s brother.

 

After a small awkward silence, Liam remembered that he wasn't just here to punch Sans in the face.  He shoved something at Sans, scowl still present on his face.

 

"Here."

 

It was the white rabbit.  Sans choked slightly, not knowing what to say.

 

"(Y/n) says that it's probably best if she stops dreaming and stays awake for a while.  Dunno what she means by that, she said that you would though."

 

Sans' eyes watered as he hugged the rabbit to him.  He curled up on the couch, sobbing into the rabbit's fur and no longer caring that his friends were watching.  He cried harder when he realised that he could still smell (y/n) on the rabbit.  It was like she was there in his arms.  Except, she wasn't.

 

Was it possible for a monster to die of a broken heart when they haven't bonded to their mate?

 

Sans didn't think it was.  God he wished it was possible.  It would mean that the pain would end.

 

He vaguely registered Liam speaking again, and quietened down to listen.  This man was the only connection he had left to his sweetheart besides the rabbit.

 

"You're a real dick, you know that right?"

 

Sans just nodded pathetically.  Toriel covered Frisk's ears and frowned disapprovingly, but said no more.  The others watched curiously, they had a feeling that Liam would help them get to the bottom of Sans' suffering.  All they had to do was wait.

 

"I'm all for a good prank.  Trust me, (y/n) has been the victim in pretty much all of them.  But you crossed a line with my little sister."

 

Liam paused for a second and narrowed his eyes at Sans.  Damn, that scowl and glare.  All three triplets seemed to have it, must've inherited it.  Did he want to find the original owner?  No, Sans did not.

 

"Throwing water balloons or planting a whoopee cushion is one thing.  But taking advantage of my sister's feelings for you?  And then creating some kind of alternate universe where you two are married and have a kid?  That's fucked up, especially when she can't physically have kids."

 

Sans couldn't bring himself to look at his friends.  He heard Toriel, Alphys and Flowey gasp.  Undyne mumbled a quiet "Shit...".  He didn't want to look at his brother, but he could hear Frisk's quiet whimpering.  His eyelights glanced at them quickly.

 

They looked....guilty...

 

Could they....Was it possible that Frisk could remember the previous timelines?

 

Liam ran his fingers through his hair, sighing and sitting down besides Sans.

 

"You just don't get it dude."

 

Sans looked at Liam, still sniffling.

 

"(Y/n) has only ever had three dreams her whole life.  Just three.  The first is...well it doesn't relate to this.  The second dream was to get married.  She wanted someone to walk her down the aisle, she wanted to go shopping for a wedding dress.  She wanted bridesmaids.  It didn't have to be a big deal.  But (y/n) has always wanted to get married."

 

He paused for a moment to let it sink in.

 

"The third dream was to have children of her own.  You wouldn't actually see it unless it was happening right in front of you, but (y/n) is amazing with kids.  The way she is, it's like she's a mother already.  The only thing missing is a kid of her own.  And trust me, she would love to have a kid.  And for a long time, all it would've taken is the right person and the right time.  But..."

 

Liam trailed off.  Everyone was hanging on his every word.

 

"But?" Flowey prompted.

 

"But life likes to be a bitch.  Long story short, (y/n) wanted kids and using a sperm donor wasn't working so she got tested.  The test showed that (y/n) wouldn't be able to have children.  She was devastated.  And you coming up with this whole fantasy life where you had a baby together?  Talk about kicking someone when they're down.  That's something you just don't do."

 

Sans was distraught.

 

"but i was telling the truth!  it was true!  we - "

 

He couldn't continue because Papyrus had finally clamped his around around his mouth, stopping him from speaking.

 

"Thank you for explaining the situation." Toriel stood with her hands clasped in front of her, erasing all doubts that she could still be a queen.

 

Liam stood and made his way to the door, thanking them for listening to him and for being understanding.  Before he left, he turned to face Sans once more.

 

"She's been awake all night crying."

 

Sans felt his soul clench in sorrow.

 

"....She won't eat either."

 

He felt his eyes widen.  His sweetheart wasn't eating?!  He had to get to her, he would get her some cake.  She loved cake!  Especially the strawberry shortcake from Muffet's Bakery.  He could take her a hot chocolate too!  With whipped cream and marshmallows, she would love that and then -

 

"I don't want you coming near my sister."

 

Liam must've picked up on the panicked state that Sans was working himself into, and like a good big brother he didn't want the one causing his sister pain to go anywhere near her.  He didn't know what made him tell Sans the state (y/n) was in right now.  But he had a feeling that the skeleton had a right to know.  He deserved to feel guilty.

 

Sans wouldn't have disagreed with him.  He felt like trash.  He wanted to go to (y/n), explain how it wasn't a prank, explain everything from start to finish.  But he knew that going to her now would just make things worse.

 

He continued to hug the rabbit to his chest as Liam said goodbye to the others.  He continued to stare unseeing as he tried desperately to think of something to make things better.  His vision was blocked by Toriel's dress.  He looked up into the goat mother's face.

 

She was glaring down at him, eyes flashing dangerously and hands on her hips as she frowned.

 

"Explain.  Now!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't mess with Goat Mama Tori


	15. Brother Knows Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, your brother knows best.

"Please eat something..."

 

The plate of scrambled eggs that had been lovingly prepared was pushed away.

 

"Just have a little piece of toast then sis, you're gonna make yourself sick."

 

"...Not hungry..."

 

(Y/n) buried her face in her blankets once again.  She didn't want to face the world.  She had hoped that having Liam give the rabbit back to Sans would help her to move on.  Each day she didn't have it with her made her heart feel like it was breaking in two.  She was almost tempted to try and convince her brother to go and get it back.

 

Sans hadn't made any attempt to try and contact her either.

 

She expected it.  She had told him to stay away.  Liam had told him to stay away.  But that didn't make it hurt any less.

 

Maya and Liam looked at each other as they sat on their sister's bed.  They felt completely helpless.  The usual methods they used to combat their own heartbreak were just not working.

 

The eldest triplet sighed and picked up the plate.  She would keep it in the microwave, just in case (y/n) felt a little peckish later.  Her brother stayed sitting.

 

He felt his gaze rest on his younger sister's form.  Even when curled up under two duvets she looked so small.  He didn't say anything, just stayed and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly.  (Y/n) sniffled pathetically.  He couldn't stand this.

 

"Listen sis, I don't mean to sound harsh.  But you can't stay in the house for the rest of your life."

 

(Y/n) groaned.

 

"Why not?"

 

He rolled his eyes, smiling gently.  Even now, he knew her too well. 

 

"You need something to live for.  Something to look forward to.  Go and meet new people!  Do the things you always wanted!  How about going to Japan?  You've always wanted to go there, right?  You could take a mini-vacation and - " 

 

"No thanks.  I'd rather stay inside and wither away until I'm old and even more pathetic..." she whispered brokenly.  

 

Liam sighed.  She'd done the same thing when she was getting bullied in high school.  He'd done nothing at the time, concentrating more on his grades and his own popularity.  And as a result, she'd become practically anxious at any human contact, withdrawn and started hiding away in her books and video games.  Which left her with little to no social skills.

 

At least until she met Muffet.

 

Liam's eyes widened and he grinned.  Oh, how he loved his light bulb moments.

 

Being a doting older brother, Liam found it in his heart to rescue his sister from her terrible heartbreak by ripping both duvets off of her, laughing all the while.  She squealed in protest as he literally picked her up and threw her over his shoulder as if _he was rescuing her from a burning building.  Oh god, he couldn't lose her!  She couldn't be dead!  Who was he gonna prank if-_

 

Liam found himself stopping, the laughter dying momentarily.  Where....where did that come from?  He shook his head, a little unnerved.  He plastered a smile back onto his face and carried his still protesting sister to the bathroom where he finally put her down.  He let out a real laugh at her scowling face.  It was like looking at an angry kitten.

 

"Go freshen up.  Have a nice shower or a bubble bath with that weird shower cream that makes ya smell like chocolate.  Then we're going out."

 

(Y/n) tilted her head to the side, still pouting.

 

"Where are we going?"

 

Liam grinned again and, putting his arm around her shoulder, leaned in to whisper conspiratorially.

 

"Muffet's.  My treat."

 

You'd think he had proposed a bank robbery.  There was silence.  For so long that he feared for a second that it hadn't worked.  But then she grumbled and went inside the bathroom.

 

"You'll come to regret this Liam!" she shouted from the inside.

 

He just laughed.  At least until Maya shouted up the stairs.

 

"She's right you know.  She's gonna bleed ya dry!  Take it from someone who knows!"

 

Liam gulped.  Welp, maybe he could just get his girlfriend one present for Christmas.  It's the thought that counts anyway.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Liam smirked as he looked across the table at (y/n).  Maya wasn't there because she "didn't want to see the aftermath of the death of Liam's wallet".  Her words, not his.

 

Right now he was just glad that (y/n) was eating something.  Sure she was on her fourth piece of cake and second hot chocolate, and his wallet was quickly on its way to being empty of any and all cash.  But it was worth it to see her being her normal self again.  Worth it to see her eating something after days of starving herself.  Well, almost normal.  He could see the slightly glossy look in her eyes.  But she was trying.  He couldn't ask for anything more.

 

"Nothing like chocolate to soothe the soul, eh (y/n)?" he grinned as she took a huge gulp of her hot chocolate, getting a blob of whipped cream on the tip of her nose.

 

"Chocolate is overrated.  Everyone hypes it up way too much.  Chocolate is not deserving of everyone's standards.  But," at this she placed one hand on her heart as she closed her eyes in a mockery of a promise, "I shall gladly sacrifice myself in order to stop others from being inflicted by the horror that is..." dramatic pause, "...chocolate." she finished.

 

He snorted, covering his mouth with his hand as he tried to stifle his laughter.  She'd done that dramatic performance completely unaware of the cream on her nose.  His sister smiled, in that "what are you up to?" kind of way.  Liam quickly waved to Muffet, waving her over.

 

He was glad that Muffet looked more human than spider.  Little spiders he could deal with.  But the bigger ones, he was a big baby.  Thankfully the spider monster had directed the larger arachnids into the kitchen.  Liam was still a bit skittish at first, but he quickly forgot it when in the company of (y/n) and Muffet.  The spider monster was incredibly charming, he could understand why she was so successful now.

 

When Muffet spied him waving, she hurried over.  Liam had explained the whole situation when the two had arrived, and as (y/n) was one of her best and most valued customers, not to mention a very good friend, she was determined to do what she could to help.  So they would be getting a discount.

 

On approaching the table she suspected another request for a different cake or some hot chocolate.  She didn't expect the blob of whipped cream on (y/n)'s nose.  The spider monster couldn't help but laugh.

 

"Ahuhuhuhu, oh my.  Here you are, dearie."

 

One of her arms picked up a nearby napkin and handed it to her, another arm pointing to her nose as she giggled.  While (y/n) wiped the cream off of her nose, Liam asked for another piece of cake.  He was determined to spoil her, even if it meant spending a lot of money so she could have a piece of everything in the bakery.

 

"Are you feeling any better now?" Muffet asked gently, her gaze softening as it came to rest on (y/n).  She was wearing a grey t-shirt with the kitty song from The Big Bang Theory printed on.  The t-shirt with the funny song was a sign that she was getting there.

 

She nodded once.  Muffet knew what that meant.  She wasn't okay.  But she was better than what she was.  And eventually, she would be okay.  It would just take time, and Muffet was going to be there for her every step of the way.

 

The tinkling of a bell signalled the door to the bakery opening.  Muffet turned, smile on her face to welcome the human or monster who had wandered into her bakery and stopped herself.

 

A deadly glare formed in her eyes and a scowl replaced her pretty smile as she sneered at the monster who had just walked in.

 

The monster in question looked pretty pathetic.  Clothes rumpled and covered in various condiments stains.  Bones rattling slightly and the usual womanising grin had become a pained grimace.

 

Sans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only realised, after I came up with the title for this chapter, I kept singing "Mother knows best" from Tangled. Except I replaced "Mother" with "Brother". It fit surprisingly well xD
> 
>  
> 
> Maya and Liam are so protective of smol bean Reader :3


	16. The Struggle Is Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little look into what Sans did while Reader was wasting away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot believe how many people really like this story. Thank you to everyone who has been reading this so far. 
> 
> A special thank you to: ink31, Ryvyn, Biryu13, Menou, sakuchwan, ischikun, Dragonsrule18, sansylover (BrittDub1), Punny_Fan, PorcelainRei, Rhody, GreenTimes, SansFangirl4life, FloralPuns, Zalladane, Hrist, CurlyWillow, Eri Cheshire (Eritan_Miitan), Circus4APsycho8, splits, NinaBeena, WinterHerox2SummerVillan, Lunx, cosmicArtist, Starry_Eclipse87, Sam_NerdINC, DatSarah, UnderLust_Sins, RynLangley, Miyuki_Namida49, Deharu_Timeheart, LunaXXMoon1, rinidaboss and Haileyice7.
> 
> (That was literally everyone who has commented on the story so far. Love you guys!)

"Explain.  Now!"

 

Sans stared at Toriel whose eyes were flashing dangerously.  A quick glance around the room convinced Sans that the goat monster wasn't the only one in a foul mood.

 

Undyne was snarling, Alphys standing behind her and sneering.  Papyrus was leaning against the door frame to the kitchen, making a point of not looking at him and scowling fiercely.  His own brother was too ashamed to look at him.  Flowey was hissing like an angry cat and Frisk was finding the ground very interesting.  Their expression was unreadable.

 

Sans could feel his sins crawling on his back.

 

His bones continued to rattle and he clutched the rabbit tightly to him, desperately trying to leech some comfort from it.

 

His gaze went back to Frisk.  They had finally looked up and met his gaze.  He was right before.  He could see the guilt swimming in their eyes.  They were silently pleading with him.  Begging him not to say anything.  The only reason he could think of for them to be that way, would be if they knew the truth about what happened.

 

He was done playing nice.

 

"ask them," he sobbed as he pointed right at them.

 

Frisk jumped slightly and began to panic when the others looked at them curiously.  That was enough for Toriel to raise an eyebrow slightly at her adopted child.

 

"Frisk," she started slowly, "Did you know anything about this?"

 

The child started to tremble, tears appearing in their eyes as they nodded once.  Sans almost let out a sigh of relief.  Undyne stepped forward then, confusion written across her face as well as the other monsters.

 

"Wait a sec.  Something doesn't add up here.  I know for a fact that you wouldn't pull a prank that was so cruel, punk!  Did Sans talk you into it or something?"

 

They shook their head and finally opened their mouth to speak.

 

"Everyone....Sans is telling the truth..."

 

Sans' sockets flew open as he looked right at Frisk.  Holy shit.  They were really going to tell everyone the truth about the timelines.  Everyone sat down and they began to speak.

 

They told everyone about the original timeline.  How many times they had made friends with everyone.  Frisk told them about being possessed by Chara and the multiple genocide timelines, how Sans always tried to stop them.  They told them about breaking the barrier for the first time, how they were on the Surface for two years.

 

The monsters were told about how Sans met (y/n), they fell in love and found out they were soulmates.  They were told about the wedding and how Chara took over and killed (y/n), and the timeline reset.  They sat with stony faces as both Frisk and now Sans told them all that in the new timeline, Chara stayed away.  They were on the surface for nearly five years, Sans happily married and with a little girl.

 

This was where it got more difficult.  Sans had to teleport to his workshop in order to bring the photos just so the others would believe him.  He didn't just bring the ones with (y/n) and his baby bones.  He brought each and every one.

 

"You...you can't fake this, guys.  This is a legit baby scan!" Alphys said as she examined the photos carefully.  She continued.

 

"Th-there isn't any si-sign o-of photo shopping!  They're r-real!"

 

Toriel gasped and covered her mouth with a paw.  The other monsters looked like they were going to be sick.

 

"What Happened."

 

Sans looked at his brother, he was finally listening.  Everyone was finally listening.  God it felt so good to finally get it off his chest.  He remembered the dream he had and flinched.  He took a deep breath, deciding to get it all out.  The sooner the better.

 

"i...i got home from work one night.  everything was fine.  we had dinner, put our baby bones to sleep.  watched a little tv and then went to bed.  it was...normal."

 

The skeleton glanced at the two photos that meant more to him than his own life right now.  He tried and failed to hold back another sob, Toriel placing a paw on his back to coax him gently into continuing.

 

"i woke up in the middle of the night, felt that somethin' wasn't right.  i smelt smoke.  could see smoke.  the house was on fire!  i-i woke sweetheart up, she panicked.  she - " He stopped to let out a sob he'd been holding in.

 

"she tried to get to the baby, but..." he trailed off, shaking his head.  He didn't want to remember his dream.  A large bony hand on his other arm and the sympathetic (?) gaze in his brother's sockets gave him the courage he needed.

 

"(y/n), she fell through the floor...right into the fire.  i felt her soul shatter.  it hurt so much!" he sobbed.

 

Papyrus' grip on his arm tightened, Toriel and Flowey gasped.  Frisk was crying silently.

 

"i grabbed the baby, got us out of there.  thought that if i couldn't save sweetheart, the least i could do was save my little princess....but she wasn't breathing...i...i had to watch as her soul shattered in front of me, and then my baby bones turned to dust..." he whispered brokenly.

 

Crimson tears were streaming down his face and his eyelights had vanished as he stared vacantly.  He could still feel the dust on his phalanges...

 

"when i turned around, chara was there.  holding a box of matches and laughing at me.  i could feel the reset coming.  but before it did, i promised that i would get stronger so i could protect (y/n) and my family.  no matter the cost.  when the world reset and i woke up in snowdin, i didn't remember anything from before and everything was like this." Sans gestured to everyone around him.

 

"my father, no one remembers him anymore, he said that the timeline reset like this because of me.  said that there was no need or possible way for me to get strong in the original timeline, so he made this one be more violent.  kill or be killed.  and he took my memories as payment.  that's everything.  i didn't mean for it to be this way, this wasn't what i meant.  it doesn't matter anyway.  (y/n) doesn't believe me, she hates me..."

 

Everyone was silent.

 

"Frisk, did you know the whole time?" Toriel asked quietly.

 

They sniffled.

 

"I'm sorry - "

 

Undyne got up, Alphys quickly following.  She looked at Papyrus and pointed to Sans silently.  The taller skeleton seemed to understand the command.  He picked his brother up gently, Sans letting out another sob as he was hit with a phantom memory of Papyrus doing the same thing in the original timeline.  He grabbed the photos collected on the table, his brother having let out a pained protesting whine at the idea of leaving them behind.

 

The group walked out the door, leaving Toriel to deal with a crying Frisk.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The monsters were sat in a booth at Grillby's.  Having seen the sombre expressions on their faces and the heartbroken Sans, the purple fire elemental directed them to a booth where they wouldn't be disturbed before saying that any and all drinks were on the house.

 

They all appreciated the offer and as such, Undyne wasted no time in ordering mustard for Sans, a Bloody Mary for Alphys, sparkling water for Papyrus and vodka for herself.

 

Of course, Sans didn't just have one drink.  He ended up drinking around five bottles of mustard and being well on the way to tipsy.  After Grillby cut off the mustard intake, he started on ketchup, sobbing hysterically and clutching at the table.

 

Monsters all around the restaurant started staring at the group.  Some even started to snicker cruelly at Sans' misery.  They all stopped when sharpened bones were sent flying in their direction as Papyrus growled and snarled, daring everyone there to try and mock his brother's pain.  No one bothered them after that.

 

Only when he was hiccuping pathetically did Sans suddenly stop.  The group were immediately wary, not knowing where this was going.

 

Sans sat up straight, trembling and eyelights roaming around, searching for something.

 

"she's upset.  i have to go to her!"

 

Before he could even teleport the other three monsters piled on top of him.  Sans bared his teeth and snarled as he began to thrash.  He needed to see her, he had to see (y/n)!

 

"SANS!"

 

His brother's voice managed to get through to him.  He stopped.  Undyne and Papyrus thanked their lucky stars that they were both so physically strong.

 

"Sans, You Can't Go To Her Just Yet.  Right Now, She Wants To Be Left Alone.  Give Her Some Space, And Then You Can Try Approaching Her."

 

Sans sniffled.

 

"don't wanna stay away..."

 

"We know you don't Sans, but it'll be for the best.  Give her some time," Alphys placed a claw on his arm, patting it comfortingly.

 

"...mkay...."

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It had been a week since Frisk and Sans had told the truth about the timelines.

 

Frisk had resorted to hiding in their room.  Their friends had insisted that all was forgiven, over what had happened.  That it wasn't them who had done those things.  But Sans and Papyrus were still avoiding them.  The only time the child saw Papyrus was when he was guarding them and Toriel.  He wouldn't speak to them.  Sans on the other hand, refused to even see them.  And they felt terrible.

 

Sans mostly stayed at home.  The few times he went out was when he'd been dragged by Papyrus or Undyne.

 

He wouldn't let go of the rabbit.

 

At least until one day when he was in the park with Alphys.  His head snapped up as he handed the toy to his friend and he took off running.

 

His sweetheart was nearby.  She had left the house.  She was starting to feel better.  It had to be the perfect time for reconciling!  He thanked the stars that he had been dragged out of the house today.

 

His soul had tugged him directly to Muffet's Bakery.  She must be inside!

 

Sans quickly looked down at himself; his clothes were rumpled and there were ketchup and mustard stains on his jacket.  He grimaced.  He didn't have time to go home and change.  This might be the only chance he got.  He pushed open the door, the bell alerting Muffet to his arrival.

 

(Y/n) was sitting at a table with Liam.  She'd been smiling a little, until she caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye.  She faced him, looking like a deer in headlights. Liam was frowning, eyes narrowed and silently daring him to take a step forward.  Muffet's normally sweet smile had been replaced with a sneer as she glared.

 

"Go into the room in the back, dearies.  I'll handle this." Muffet said to the two humans.

 

(Y/n) opened her mouth to say something but Liam's hand on her shoulder made her stop.  He quickly guided her in the direction of the room Muffet was talking about.  Sans knew he had to do something and quick.

 

"(y/n), sweetheart - " he raised his arm, reaching out for her desperately.

 

She flinched and held onto her chest.  A sob escaped her.  Muffet stopped him from getting any further.

 

She stepped in front of him, snapping her finger on one hand and silently directing the larger spiders that had been hiding to quickly scurry out and wrap him in webs.  Sans found that the more he struggled, the tighter the webs were getting.  He quickly looked up to find (y/n) but it was too late.  She had already been whisked away, her brother shutting the door behind them.

 

He whined pathetically as he began to struggle once again.  He had to get to her.  He had to make sure she was okay!

 

A lilac skinned hand found its way onto his cheekbone, forcing him to look directly into Muffet's eyes.

 

"No you don't, dearie.  We're going to have a little chat."


	17. Struggling Is Futile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Muffet ain't happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg, this chapter was really hard! I suck at battle scenes or anything like that T^T sorry it's so short ;_;
> 
> This may also be the last chapter I upload until AFTER Christmas. My family bans technology on Christmas Day besides the TV. It's just so we can spend time together for the holiday. So if I don't upload anything else before then, I hope you all have a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year! :D

Sans struggled, the webs getting ever tighter.  He could feel (y/n) getting further away, he could feel himself panicking because of it.

 

"muffet, please - "

 

The spider monster scowled and slapped him, causing him to gasp.  No one had ever hurt him besides Papyrus.  It was...unnerving...

 

"Save your pleas Sans.  I don't know why I expected more of you!"

 

Sans stopped wriggling, staring at Muffet nervously.  He knew that if he could get free from the webs then he could easily take her on in a fight.  He could easily kill her.  But he knew that would make his sweetheart sad.  He had already screwed up so much.  He had to try harder, he had to be better if he ever stood any chance of getting (y/n) back.

 

"You're able to see souls, Sans.  Surely you must've known that such a prank was going to be too much for such a kind human!  There are cracks in her soul now!  Cracks!  How could you be so cruel?!"

 

Muffet was one of the monsters known for being merciless in the Underground.  If you refused to buy from her bakery, you'd die.  If you said "no" to her, you'd die.  If you accidentally stepped on a spider, you'd die.

 

Which was why Sans was feeling so nervous as he felt the webs form around his neck to cut off his breathing.  Because he was a skeleton, it was impossible for him to die from getting his airway cut off.  It would be incredibly uncomfortable instead.  She would make him suffer and then kill him.  Oh god, the crazy spider lady was really going to kill him!

 

He tried to beg.

 

"please, just let - let me explain - argh!"

 

The webs tightened around his neck and he brought both his hands up to grasp at the strands, desperately trying to break them.  But he was panicking too much.  He couldn't think straight.  His vision was starting to darken at the edges.  He could still see Muffet in front of him, yelling at him.  He couldn't hear what was being said.  Only see as she grew more furious with him and proceeded to hit him again.

 

He almost screamed as he felt a pain in his chest, one of the larger spiders (bigger than his skull) had broken at least two of his ribs.  He felt another spider crawling on his face, about to scuttle into his eyesocket as he squirmed and yelped.  He could feel them, crawling along his ribs and up his spine, biting and chipping parts of the bone.  Oh god, this felt so wrong.  The whole time, Muffet stood in front of him, arms crossed and an almost bored expression on her face as her lip curled in a cruel smile.

 

He heard a door open.  Through his blackening vision, he caught a glimpse of (y/n)'s horrified face.  Muffet turned towards her, shock written across her face as the human ran towards him.

 

He felt himself being laid on the floor, his head in (y/n)'s lap as she looked into his eyes with worry.  She was saying something but he couldn't hear what it was through the ringing in his non-existent ears.

 

She looked up towards the door, clearly panicking.  Then his brother and Alphys were there.  His vision darkened more.  All he could focus on was his sweetheart.

 

He could see her screaming as his vision grew dark and he lost consciousness.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Sans groaned as he opened his sockets.  He was back in his room.  He felt terrible.  Where was (y/n)?

 

He sat up slowly, groaning some more.  He could feel bandages on his ribs.  Judging by how sore he felt, they must've definitely been broken.  Fuck.  It would take a while to heal.

 

He felt something soft beside him.  He hoped that it was (y/n).  It was the rabbit.  It must've been tucked up with him because of how clingy he's been with it lately.  Sans pulled it to him, nuzzling the soft fur.

 

He hated that he couldn't smell his sweetheart anymore.

 

Before he could try and attempt to get out of bed, the door to his room opened.  It was Papyrus.  Sans froze, dreading what his brother would do.  The taller skeleton just sighed, shaking his skull slightly.

 

"I Thought We Agreed That You Wouldn't Try To Go And See Her For A While."

 

Sans felt his eyelights drift down.  He didn't want to look at his brother, he could feel the disappointment rolling off him in waves.

 

"is she okay?" he hated how small his voice sounded.

 

Papyrus sat on his bed, seeming to look for the words to say.

 

"You Do Realise That Muffet Would've Killed You If Not For (Y/n), Don't You?"

 

Sans nodded.  There was silence.

 

"Why Didn't You Tell Us That Her Soul Had Cracked?"

 

He flinched.  The cracks hadn't gotten worse had they?  She...she was okay, wasn't she?  Papyrus seemed to realise that he wouldn't be able to answer the question, not in the current state he was in.

 

"how long have i been out?" Sans asked instead.

 

"Three Weeks." Papyrus scowled.  He couldn't believe how long his brother had been unconscious.  He was still trying to get over the fact that he had allowed himself to almost get killed.

 

Sans eyesockets widened.  Three weeks?!  Fuck!  He tried to get back up off the bed.  He had to get to (y/n)!  He had to fix things!  He could make it up to her!  He could make everything better!

 

He would take (y/n) to the Underground, show her where they used to live.  She would love Waterfall!  He was sure of it!  He would explain everything, from start to finish.  Leave nothing out.  Sans would show her the pictures, tell her that even Alphys admitted they were legit.  Then he would confess his feelings!  She'd have to believe him then!

 

She'd have to love him back, because she was his soulmate.  Even if she didn't love him now, she didn't really have a choice in the matter.  She would be his.  She would be his!  They would be together again soon, and everything would be alright!  He would make sure of it.  He wasn't going to let anyone take her away from him again. 

 

~~**He would kill anyone who tried.** ~~

 

He growled possessively at the thought.  He was interrupted from his daydreaming by Papyrus pushing him back on the bed.

 

"Toriel Says You Are Not To Move For Now."

 

He seemed to hesitate before speaking again.

 

"You Have A Visitor."

 

Sans looked at his brother, soul thumping erratically.  Could it be?  Had she come back to him?  Had (y/n) forgiven him and was giving him a chance to explain?

 

He didn't even try to hide his disappointment when he saw Maya come in.  He would've scowled, but he couldn't bring himself to.  She looked exhausted.  She took Papyrus' place on his bed while his brother left the room, closing the door behind him.

 

Sans stared at her curiously, wondering why she was here.  Was (y/n) ill again?  He was about to ask but Maya beat him to it.

 

"I'm going to be honest with you Sans.  I think you deserve to know after all."

 

He got an all too familiar feeling of dread in his gut.

 

"(Y/n)...isn't going to be coming here to see you.  Our Mom came to visit last week, told us she was going travelling around the world.  We had the chance to go with her.  Me and Liam, we've got things tying us down here.  Both got jobs, Liam has his girlfriend.  (Y/n) didn't have anything besides us...and you.  Until recently."

 

He started shaking his head slowly, not wanting to believe where this was going.

 

"She's already gone Sans.  We think it'll be good for her to get out in the world.  Experience new things.  She's probably half way across the world by now."

 

She looked at him then, the cold expression that he saw when they first met present on her face.

 

"Wanna know the best part?  Monsters still can't leave the country.  You can't follow her."

 

He could feel his hope draining away.

 

**"And if you try, then I will dust you myself."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry. It'll get better.


	18. Back-Tracking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too happy with this chapter. I feel like it could be better, but I wanted there to be at least the beginning of a happy ending just in case some people have to cancel their internet (with the whole net neutrality thing going on).
> 
> Hope you enjoy it anyway

(Y/n) sat on a bench eating a mandarin ice cream, the sweltering sun beating down and causing her to feel slightly sleepy.

 

A small group of young men had been watching her.  She had visited the restaurant they owned quite a few times, and one of them had become quite enamoured with her.  He would pull out her chair, insist on being the one to take her order and had even taken a few selfies with her.  He was quite the gentleman.

 

His friends found it amusing, and had jokingly offered (y/n) numerous gifts and free food in order to marry their friend.  She'd just laughed.

 

It had been three months since she left home and began travelling.  So far, she'd travelled to England, Paris, Florida, Greece, India, Japan and was currently in Turkey.  As much as she missed her siblings and friends back home, she couldn't find it in herself to regret making the decision.  She had to admit that this really had been good for her.

 

(Y/n) and her mother didn't have any set plan for travelling.  Right now, they had a copy of the map of the world which was hung up in their hotel room.  They would throw a dart at the map, check which place had been hit and then would stick a star sticker on the place.  They would go to the airport, get a one way ticket to that place, stay for around two weeks (or until they got bored) and then would throw the dart at the map again.  And repeat.

 

It had worked so far.

 

Currently, (y/n)'s mom was back at the hotel lounging by the pool.  She was most likely picking fights with other tourists again over the sunbeds.  She could be surprisingly dramatic over the simplest things.

 

However, she could sense that her mom was getting bored and her wanderlust was creeping back up.  She wouldn't be surprised if they threw the dart tonight.

 

She finished her ice cream and waved goodbye to the men that hadn't been so subtle watching her, before making her way back to the hotel.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Yep.

 

It was as she suspected.

 

Her mother's wanderlust had come back.

 

(Y/n) watched her mom get ready to throw the dart, getting ready to duck herself if need by.  Even though she had seen this done many times now, she couldn't help but be amused.  She shook her head softly and smiled as she continued to pack.  They would be leaving the hotel as soon as they had finished.

 

A sudden thump alerted herself to the fact that a destination had been chosen.  She could feel her soul thump in excitement.  Which place had been chosen now?

 

...

 

Huh.

 

Malta.

 

Her mother squealed in excitement.  (Y/n) grinned.  Her mother was as big a kid as she was.  She pulled out her laptop, hoping to find out some of the tourist attractions.

 

Lagoons, secret coves, museums, caves.  It sounded and looked lovely!  (Y/n) would no doubt find interest in the museums and caves.  Her mother would love the lagoons (not that y/n wouldn't enjoy it, she just wasn't a strong swimmer).  And the both of them would definitely enjoy the shopping.

 

One thing that her mother had definitely influenced was her love of shopping.  Before this, the task would be like a chore.  It was a constant now, something that both mother and daughter were able to bond over.

 

(Y/n) grinned again.

 

Off to Malta they go.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"(Y/n) you look tired.  Try and get some rest while we're flying."

 

She didn't argue.  (Y/n) plugged in her headphones to listen to a playlist titled "Sleepy-Time Junction".  She hadn't been able to stop laughing once she heard Dan singing it on Game Grumps.  It hadn't taken her long to create the playlist after that, full of relaxing songs (and even a complete version of the song itself).

 

It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_"sweetheart!  you're never gonna believe what just happened!"_

 

_(Y/n) turned towards her husband, his white eyelights forming tiny little stars and blue tears forming in joy as his grin stretched across his skull proudly.  She smiled.  She could never get tired of all his endearing little quirks.  He was such an adorable dork._

 

_Right now though, he was holding their daughter Lucida in his arms and cuddling the giggling child gently.  (Y/n) still couldn't quite get over how much her baby looked like her.  Except for her eyes.  Her bright blue eyes that sparked with magic definitely came from Sans._

 

_She folded her arms and wondered what kind of mischief the two had been getting up to.  She watched curiously as Sans set down Lucida down on the floor, hands hovering nearby to catch the wobbling toddler._

 

_Once she was steady, he took two steps away and held out his arms towards her._

 

_"c'mon princess!  i know you can do it!  show mama how smart ya are!"_

 

_Lucida seemed encouraged by her doting father's encouragement, and (y/n) watched excitedly as she watched her daughter take her first few steps.  As the toddler stumbled into Sans' arms, he scooped her up gently and kissed her brow affectionately._

 

_(Y/n) felt tears form in her eyes from happiness.  Her baby girl was already learning to walk.  It wouldn't be long before her and Sans would be taking her to school for the first time.  Stars she could practically feel herself growing old._

 

_She felt herself being pulled into a soft embrace, Sans' arms wrapped around her with Lucida between them._

 

_She couldn't be any happier._

 

_(Y/n) looked back at Sans, a loving smile on her face.  The smile was quick to fade._

 

_Sans' red eyelights had practically shrunk to pinpricks, crimson tears spilled from his sockets as he grasped at her desperately.  The baby was no where to be seen._

 

_"why did you leave me?" he sobbed._

 

_"I-I..." she stuttered._

 

_"i already lost ya twice before, and i lost princess...i couldn't save her sweetheart!  i tried!  please, please come back!  i'm sorry, i'm sorry!  i need ya, it's killing me (y/n)....i can't live without ya!  please forgive me!"_

 

_(Y/n) tried to reassure him, to tell him that things would be okay.  But he was inconsolable as he crumbled to dust.  She screamed._

 

 

* * *

 

 

(Y/n) woke with a start, trembling violently.

 

That dream....It was way too realistic.  It was like....

 

....A memory....

 

She felt sick.  It was a good thing the plane had landed.  She didn't think that she could stand being in the air for much longer.

 

The aching she felt in her chest when she woke up was getting worse, and it hurt more now that she allowed herself to think about Sans and how far away he was.

 

How was he?

 

Was he eating okay?

 

Would his friends take care of him?

 

....

 

Would he still want her if she were to go back?

 

The thought of going back eased the pain a little.  As she went through all of the security and retrieved her luggage, (y/n) thought about the dream.

 

She hadn't thought of Sans in so long.  And then out of nowhere, this dream appears.  Where she and Sans are married.  Where they had a baby girl called Lucida, who had been the spitting image of her.  She had seen little Lucida take her first steps, and Sans had been so proud of her.  He was definitely wrapped around the little girl's finger.

 

And Sans!  He had looked so different!  His teeth weren't sharp, his eyelights were white instead of red and he wore a blue jacket instead of black.  And yet, he was still the same.  She could tell he was.  Had...had he been telling the truth the whole time?

 

"(Y/n)?  Are you alright?"

 

(Y/n) snapped back to the present and turned to her mom, who was looking at her in concern.  She thought about Sans again, her chest and her soul twinging painfully at being even further from him.  She thought of the dream.  Whenever she'd had dreams that were so realistic in the past, they had come true and as a result Maya often joked that she was psychic.

 

She needed answers.

 

"I'm sorry Mom, but I think it's time I go home."

 

And with that, (y/n) tugged her suitcase towards one of the check-in desks, buying a one way ticket to go back to the place where this all began.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sans lay on his bed cuddling the rabbit.  Papyrus had stopped trying to feed him over an hour ago and it had been even longer since he tried to take away the rabbit.  He stopped when Sans went to bite him.  Each day the pain in his soul got worse.  Alphys had insisted on looking at it at some point.  He couldn't remember how it went, he was in too much of a daze.  But everyone had been treating him like glass ever since.  He didn't blame them.  He felt like it right now.

 

His phone suddenly buzzed for the first time in months.  He opened his sockets slowly.  He felt so tired.  He wished he could just give up.  But some small part of him kept hoping that (y/n) would come back.  He almost hated that.

 

He reached out slowly, grasping his phone and bringing it closer so he could read the message that had just come through.  It was probably spam mail.  So he would most likely delete it.

 

That thought quickly went out the window as he read the text.

 

**13:46 pm (Cookie Monster): I'm at the airport.**

 

He didn't even have to think before he teleported to the airport and ran through the doors.  He quickly looked around, gaining a few looks from his sudden appearance before pulling out his phone.

 

**13:47 pm (xxx): i'm at the entrance. where are you?**

 

It was only after he sent the text that he realised how desperate he sounded.  He shook his skull.  That didn't matter at the moment.  And then his soul drew him to look to his left.

 

He saw a young woman sitting down, back facing him with a bright pink suitcase and an orange ribbon tied around the handle.  The woman was looking down at something in her lap, and then she stood and turned and looked right at him.

 

It was (y/n).

 

For a moment nothing happened.  He didn't want to approach her if she didn't want him too close.  Her hair was longer.  She was wearing a grey t-shirt that said "idiot abroad" and jean shorts with converse covered in graffiti.

 

And she smiled at him.

 

Sans wasted no time in pulling her into an embrace, shaking as he finally had the chance to actually touch her again.  She laughed softly.  Stars how he'd missed that laugh.  He didn't even realise he was crying until (y/n) had cupped his face in her small hands and began wiping the tears away gently with the pad of her thumbs.

 

Oh how he loved her.  And he didn't want to waste any more time in trying to tell her.

 

Before (y/n) knew what was happening, Sans had cupped her face and pressed his bony lips to hers.  She could feel her eyes closing but as soon as it started, it had finished.

 

She blinked owlishly up at Sans as he grinned.  He grabbed the handle on her suitcase and wrapped his arm around her waist, leaning in to whisper into her ear.

 

"hang on tight sweetheart."

 

The sensation of falling had (y/n) clinging to his jacket, causing him to purr loudly.  He vaguely noticed that his soul wasn't hurting any more.  And then they were in his room.

 

(Y/n) blinked, slightly disoriented and dizzy from the shortcut.  Sans sat her down and then sat next to her, looking at her eagerly.  She looked back at him, deciding to get to the point.

 

"Sans, I need answers.  So please, tell me everything.  I don't want you to leave anything out.  I...I need to know if there is any truth to the dream I had.  If Lucida really existed at some point...."

 

Sans flinched at first but looked confused at the last statement.

 

"lucida?"

 

She raised an eyebrow.

 

"You know.  You said we had a daughter.  Lucida..."

 

Sans eyes widened.

 

"lucida was her name...of course!  i just called her-"

 

"Princess?"

 

Sans nodded mutely.  Even though he had tried to tell (y/n) the truth, he hadn't managed to tell her everything.  Did that mean....?

 

"you believe me about the timeline?"

 

(Y/n) nodded and looked at him shyly, slowly holding a hand out for him to take.  He took it without hesitation, cradling it gently as he took a deep breath.

 

Time for the whole story, from start to finish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry. It's not over yet


	19. I Just Want To Cuddle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everyone can now depart from the angst train (for now). Enjoy your stay at Fluff Village (thanks Deharu_Timeheart for the name of Fluff Village xD )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a short chapter this time. Struggled a bit with this because I didn't know what to put, literally improvised haha. Happy New Year everyone!
> 
> Title inspired by: http://www.calendars.com/Just-Want-To-Cuddle-T-Shirt-L/prod201600020429/

(Y/n) wept silently as she held the photos.  The explanation wouldn't have made much sense without them.  She allowed Sans to hold her gently as she cried, weeping at what they had in their former life.  Weeping at the loss of her baby.  She sobbed more as she looked at the baby scan, and Sans just held her tighter.  It didn't take long for his own tears to form.

 

His soul whined from the distress his soulmate was in, and started to hum in hopes of soothing her soul.  It trembled pathetically when his attempts did not work.

 

Sans stroked her hair softly as he rocked her, kissing her on the head.  Under different circumstances he would've celebrated (y/n) acknowledging that they were soulmates, would've relished in the fact that she had forgiven and believed him.  Normally he would've wasted no more time in showing her how much he loved her.

 

But now was not the time.

 

(Y/n) was grieving.  They both were.

 

After tonight they would have all the time in the world to make things right again.  To allow themselves to reconnect with each other after so much time apart and so much heart break.  But just for tonight, time was going to stand still.  Just enough that they can let out all of the sadness and cleanse themselves of the sorrow that the timelines had put them through.

 

Then they will be able to start again.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 At some point the two lay down on Sans' bed, (y/n) still in the skeleton's arms.  She had fallen asleep and Sans could see the tear tracks on her cheeks.  He continued to nuzzle her, whispering sweet nothings.  He was pretty sure she couldn't hear him while asleep.  It made him feel better though.

 

There was a quiet knock on the door before Papyrus opened it.  He was in the middle of saying something but stopped on seeing both (y/n) and Sans in each others arms.  He raised a concerned brow bone at his brother, clearly trying not to speak so he wouldn't wake the sleeping human.

 

"she came back for me.  she knows the truth now bro.  she believes me, and she knows everything.  we're kinda together now, she's accepted that we're soulmates."

 

(Y/n) stirred slightly when he spoke and snuffled a little before snuggling closer to Sans.  The skeleton curled around her smiled lovingly, eyelights turning to little red hearts as he watched her affectionately.  He unknowingly began to purr, and (y/n) smiled in her sleep.  It was only a small smile.  But he loved it so much right now.

 

Papyrus smiled slightly and closed the door quietly.  He then picked up the phone and called Toriel and then Alphys.  The two had been monitoring Sans since (y/n) left, fearing that he may fall down one day.  They would be glad to hear of this development.  Especially since Papyrus could see that the small cracks that had started to form in his brother's soul, were now slowly beginning to fade.

 

Things will get better.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 (Y/n) blearily blinked, willing herself to wake up but not entirely convinced of wanting to be awake.  She knew she was in Sans' arms, and could feel him breathing deeply.  Strange how he breathed when he didn't have lungs.  She couldn't care less though.  She was too comfortable right now.

 

Looking up resulted in almost banging her head against Sans' skull because of how close he was.  He was asleep.  He looked so exhausted.  He had bags under his eyes, how that was possible she didn't know.  She was putting it down to magic.  She could faintly make out tracks of red on his skull from where he'd been crying.  She raised a hand and placed it on his cheek bone, caressing him gently.

 

She winced and felt her soul ache, staring in mute horror when tiny dust particles came off on her hand.  She began to shake.

 

He'd been falling down.

 

How long had he been like this?  Had he ever planned on telling her?

 

It suddenly hit her that if she hadn't decided to come home when she did, then Sans would've fallen down.  He would've _died_.

 

(Y/n) wept, overcome by shame as she felt her sins crawling on her back.


	20. It's So Fluffy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How the hell did I manage to get to 20 chapters? Omg, this is incredible, why do you guys like this? Anyway, thank you so much for reading this far!
> 
> Have some fluff :3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title inspired by: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chamalow-Shop-Kawaii-Unicorn-T-Shirt/dp/B01L2M5O14

Sans' eyesockets snapped open suddenly.  His pinpricks shrank and he felt uneasy.

 

Something was wrong.

 

(Y/n) was trembling, burying her face in his chest and crying.  It wasn't a nightmare.  He didn't know how he could tell.  He pulled her closer to him, nuzzling the top of her head in an attempt to comfort her.  She shook even more.

 

Before he could ask why she was crying, he noticed little particles of dust.  Sans knew for a fact that she hadn't killed any monsters.  She was too kind, too weak.  He'd need to protect her from any monster that threatened her.  And then he moved his hand from her shoulder to her waist.  He stared at the small amount of dust that'd been left in its place.

 

The dust was coming from him.

 

He couldn't be falling down, could he?

 

Sans didn't see why he should.  Right now he was feeling better than he had in months.  Maybe he was just shedding all the dust that had started to fall from him.  Yeah!  That had to be it!

 

His poor mate must be terrified.

 

"sweetheart?  hey, it's okay.  i'm here sweetheart.  i ain't goin' anywhere..."

 

She looked up at him then.  He hated seeing her cry but even like this, she looked so beautiful.  Her eyes were so bright and glassy from her tears.

 

"I-I'm so *hic* so-sorry!" she sobbed as she clung to him desperately.

 

He pulled her closer to him, placing her head on his sternum where his soul was.  It started to hum in response to his soulmate's distress.  As she listened, (y/n) could hear how strong it was.  It definitely wasn't in danger of shattering any time soon.  One of her hands gripped his shirt while the other curled around his left radius.  Sans responded by slowly rubbing circles between her shoulder blades.  (Y/n)'s wails soon died down, being replaced by small hiccups.

 

He took her chin in his hand and tilted her face up towards his so he could look in her eyes.  She needed to know how serious he was.  Sans leaned in to place his forehead on hers.

 

"ya didn't know sweetheart.  but it ain't your fault.  we're together now, that's all that matters.  you're here, i'm here.  not goin' anywhere."

 

(Y/n) sniffled quietly.

 

"Promise?" she asked, voice small and timid, as if afraid of being rejected.

 

Sans smiled and he kissed her softly, running his phalanges through her hair.  When they parted, (y/n) was blushing and he held back a laugh.  She looked so adorable, so beautiful when she blushed...

 

He kissed her once more on her forehead and nuzzled into her hair, pulling her closer.

 

"i promise."

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sans gently tugged on his sweetheart's hand, coaxing her into coming out of his room.  Obviously she knew that Papyrus would be out there, and that she would also have to see the rest of the monsters eventually.  But after learning how close Sans had come to dusting, he could tell how terrified she was of seeing them again.  She was so afraid.  Sans would never let any of them hurt her.  Not now.  He wasn't going to let anyone hurt her again.

 

Besides, his friends had been more than a little understanding since the truth came out.  If anything, they were blaming Chara for having started this whole mess.

 

That didn't matter now.  What did matter was that he was finally able to convince (y/n) to leave the safety of his room.  The poor girl was practically shaking with nerves.  He smiled at reassuringly at her and ran his thumb over her knuckles to calm her.

 

Another few steps and they would be in the living room.  When his brother knocked on his bedroom door and asked if they were going to be coming out any time soon, he'd explained to Papyrus that she was afraid of what the taller skeleton would think of her now.  Papyrus had scoffed and just told him to bring her out.  Whatever happened next, would happen.

 

His brother was watching Kitchen Nightmares.  Something about a chef getting angry at other people being disasters with food just made Papyrus' day.  It always put him in a good mood.  Probably one of the reasons why he had turned it on in the first place.

 

"bro."

 

Papyrus cackled evilly at the claim that the people running the restaurant were going to kill someone.  Sans facepalmed.

 

"bro!"

 

His brother finally looked up.  First he took in Sans form.  His sockets widened.  His brother wasn't incapacitated.  He wasn't falling down!  He was okay!  His gaze then fell to (y/n) and he felt his gaze soften.  The human wouldn't look him in the eye.  He could see how genuinely afraid she was of him.

 

Papyrus stood and walked over to the couple.  He shoved Sans out of the way (gently, he still wasn't sure that his brother wouldn't turn to dust).  Before looking down at the human.  She gazed back at him, trembling violently and whimpering in fear.

 

Before Sans could do anything, his brother grabbed (y/n).  He was about to pull her back to him when Papyrus wrapped his arms around her, taking care to be as gentle as possible as he hugged her to him.

 

(Y/n) stopped trembling instantly, slowly looking up at the skeleton that had currently trapped her.  There were red tears in his sockets.  Papyrus was....crying....

 

"Thank You (Y/n).  When You Came Back, You Saved My Brother!  I Am Sorry For What You Two Had To Go Through, But You Are Very Strong!  You Have My Approval, And My Friendship."

 

Papyrus was speaking so quietly, that never happened!  It wasn't long before (Y/n) was reduced to tears.  She was so relieved that Papyrus didn't hate her.  He approved of her and Sans' relationship, and now he truly wanted to be her friend.  She felt a bony hand intertwine with her own.  Looking to the right, she saw Sans lift her hand to his mouth, pressing a toothy kiss to it and winking at her.  She smiled back at him as she blushed once more.

 

Things were going to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's so short ;_;


	21. Do You Believe In Fortunes?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans knows magic is real. This is a fact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys have any idea how hard it is write fluff now that I've written angst? ARGH! I'm seeing inspiration for angst everywhere I go! ;_;
> 
> the person who guesses where the chapter title came from gets a cookie :3

"okay, i can understand the whole 'once upon a time' and the dessert thing.  but what the hell is 'salem', 'stranger things' and 'dexter'?"

 

(Y/n) turned to Sans, a sheepish smile on her face.  Even though meeting Papyrus again had gone well, she was still nervous about reuniting with the other monsters.  To help her calm down she'd suggested that they watch something on her Netflix account (that was thankfully still working after all this time).  Instead of browsing for a film like she thought he would, Sans had proceeded to look through the anime, dramas and other box-sets that she had added to her list.

 

The anime didn't really surprise him.  He had seen how she'd bonded with Alphys and Undyne, recommending a certain violent series to them.  On reading the summary for Once Upon A Time, he almost laughed.  Of course (y/n) would watch a series involving fairy tales with a modern twist.  But then he'd come across Salem and Stranger Things and Dexter.  His first thought was that Maya or Liam had put them on the list for a joke.  His second thought was " _what the fuck....._ "

 

The summary for Stranger Things interested him, but he didn't think it would be something she'd be into.  It seemed too much of a sci-fi for his sweetheart.  Salem mentioned something about witches?  And Dexter...well, he didn't think (y/n) would like it.  But he also didn't expect her to be a fan of the most terrifying horror movies he'd ever seen (not that he'd ever admit it).  She seemed to notice his confusion and giggled before explaining.

 

"Well Salem is sorta inspired by what happened hundreds of years ago.  Back then anyone, mainly women, who were considered different or strange in any way were accused of practising witchcraft and were executed.  They were innocent of course, but no one really knew that for sure at the time.  They just thought 'Better safe than sorry'.  Salem is about what happened in the town of the same name, and the witches in it are very real and very evil."

 

Sans nodded thoughtfully.  Interesting how the humans tried to erase all traces of magic, no matter how stupid or far-fetched the lead may have been.  But still, why did _that_ interest (y/n)?

 

"so why do ya like it then?"

 

"I've always been fascinated by magic."

 

He looked up at her.  (Y/n) had a far out look on her face, clearly getting lost in her imaginings.

 

"Ever since I was little, I've loved fairy-tales and the magic that would happen in them.  When I went to England, I found this little store where people could buy crystals.  The crystals would help with different things such as love, wealth, health, luck.  They also sold other things, things that could tell your fortune and help you see into the future."

 

Now she'd really captured Sans' attention.  She pulled out a clear pointed crystal that hung on a silver chain, dangling it from one hand and placing the other directly underneath it but so it wasn't touching it.  Sans leaned in, watching intently as she smiled at him, eyes twinkling with excitement.

 

"This is a pendulum.  You ask a question where the answer will be yes or no.  If the crystal moves around in a circle, then the answer is yes.  If it moves side to side then the answer is no."

 

Sans raised a bony brow.  He didn't believe in this for one second but he would humour her.  He grinned and looked at the crystal.

 

"is my name sans?" he asked jokingly.

 

The skeleton watched.  Almost immediately the crystal started moving in a circle.  But...she wasn't touching it!  And she most definitely wasn't swinging the chain.  (Y/n) was completely still but the pointed gem was still moving!

 

He gaped, laughing nervously.  He wasn't expecting that to actually happen.  The girl in front of him grinned mischievously, winking.  He laughed again, more genuinely that time.  (Y/n) chirped a cheery "Thank you".  He watched in amazement as the little crystal slowed down before coming to a complete stop.

 

"that's incredible....ya got anything else like that?"

 

She beamed and practically ran to his room, digging through her suitcase (tossing clothes all over the floor in her attempt to find what she was looking for.  It was so much like him that Sans couldn't help but laugh).  Finally she pulled out a little box and brought it out to the living room.

 

She opened up the little box and picked up a pack of cards that were trimmed in gold.  She placed it in front of Sans, the cards face down and she proceeded to talk him through the instructions.

 

First he had to knock on the deck three times, then touch each card individually.  Then he had to shuffle the deck, split it into two piles and place one on top of the other.

 

"Okay, now lay out the three cards that are at the top of the deck."

 

He lay out one card, then another next to it.  The third was placed at the end.  Then he had to turn them over.  Sans actually bit back a laugh at the pictures.  The cards had....fairies on them.

 

The first card featured a girl with a pink flower crown, translucent wings sprouting from her back.  The wings were cut off were the edge of the card was.  Sans moved onto the next one.

 

The next card had a picture of a couple of kids.  A boy and a girl, both with brightly coloured butterfly wings.  The girl was sitting down on a bright red flower and they both looked happy as they conversed.

 

The final card was a picture of a man and woman embracing, a giant pair of feathered wings behind them flying them into the sky as a bright orb of light came from the woman's chest.  Who the wings belonged to, Sans couldn't be sure.  The image almost made it seem like the wings belonged to both.  They probably did.

 

He looked at (y/n) expectantly and waited patiently as she looked over the cards.  She grinned and pointed to the first and second.

 

"You've been wishing for a relationship, a romantic one.  This first card is more of a reassurance that it's coming true, the second card IS the wish coming true."

 

At this she held out one of her tiny hands.  Sans eagerly grabbed onto it as they intertwined, rubbing soft circles over it lovingly as he grinned.  (Y/n) giggled and pressed a kiss to his nasal cavity, causing a soft dusting of red to bloom over his skull.

 

"what's the last one mean, sweetheart?" he whispered, not wanting to ruin the moment they were having.

 

His sweetheart smiled as she glanced down at the last card, and then back up at him.  She looked into his eyes, which had turned into little hearts at this point.

 

"You're angry at someone.  Someone, no, two people have done something terrible to you, something that you cannot forgive them for."

 

His eyelights turned back into pinpricks and he gripped her hand tightly.

 

_don't say it.  please don't say it sweetheart._

 

"You need to forgive them Sans."

 

...

 

Sans stared at her, not quite believing what she said.  And so he pretended that he didn't hear it.  He didn't hear it.  He didn't have to forgive anyone.  Why should he when he was the one who had been wronged?  He almost growled at the idea.  But his soulmate was starting to look worried, she was worried about him!  He couldn't let her worry.  He was fine.  Everything was okay...

 

"Sans?"

 

(Y/n)'s voice, sounding small and worried, was what broke him from his daze.  He grinned reassuringly, gaining a nervous smile back.

 

"so er, sweetheart.  why don't ya tell me about stranger things?"

 

(Y/n) opened her mouth.  Clearly about to try and carry on the previous conversation.  But then she stopped, closed her mouth.  She cleared up the cards and smiled up at him again.

 

"It would be better to watch it!"

 

Sans grinned, not even hiding the purring that his soul made when she sat next to him on the couch and pressed play.

 

She didn't mind watching the whole series again.  (Y/n) had enjoyed it the first time.  It was just as good, if not better the second time.  Especially when she had to try and explain what Dungeons and Dragons was.  Sans instantly wanted to play it.  They could learn to play it together, they had the time.

 

(Y/n) didn't bring up the fairy cards again.  Somehow, she knew better than to push the conversation.  Somehow, she knew that it was better to stay quiet than to try and bring up the subject again.

 

Later on that night, when (y/n) was in Sans' bed with the larger skeleton spooning her, she had....that sense of deja vu.  The one she used to get right before crossing a road, reminding her to look both ways a few times.  The one she got at the top of the stairs once, which suddenly had her crying out for her mother before she woke up in an ambulance after a seizure.

 

That same sense was now telling her that it was safer for her to stay quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> funny thing, deja vu. ya never know when it might come in handy.


	22. She's Into Superstitions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into Reader's past, and why she's so superstitious.

(Y/n) had always been very superstitious.

 

How could she not be?  Her mother was just as bad.  Her father was a sceptic, and had passed down his disbelief to both Maya and Liam.  But that didn't stop her siblings and mother from believing her when she said things....abnormal.

 

There would be times when (y/n) would say something and others would wonder how she could've possibly known about whatever it was.  There would be times when she would act in a certain way.  And there would be times when she chose not to act.  She could never explain it though.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It started with small superstitions that were common knowledge.

 

When she was five, (y/n) noticed that the boy she was playing with from next door, Mike, had stepped on a crack on the path.  She proceeded to tell him that because he stood on the crack, his mom was going to break her back.  The poor boy had run home in tears and (y/n) had been grounded.  That didn't stop anyone from thinking of the incident when Mike's mother had tripped over some toys at the top of the stairs a few weeks later.

 

The woman came out of hospital paralysed from a broken back.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

When the triplets were seven, their mom took them ice skating to take their minds off of the divorce.  All four of them had claimed that they weren't going to slip and fall on the ice.  Usually when someone says that, they inevitably end up falling.  However, (y/n) knocked on some wood before she entered the ice rink, saying that it would ward off any bad luck and stop her from falling.

 

Maya had remembered the incident with Mike, and so hurried to do the same before entering.  Liam had scoffed.  He didn't need to ward off bad luck!  He was going to be a natural!  Their mother smiled and shook her head, motioning for the three to go ahead while she put her skates on.  All three seemed to be doing well at first.  A little wobbly; but they were still standing.  As she finished tying her laces, she heard a shriek and looked up.  A mother always recognises one of their own crying.

 

Lo and behold, there Liam was.  Snivelling miserably as he tried again and again to stand back up. (Y/n) and Maya were wobbling toward him, obviously going to help their poor brother from suffering further humiliation.  She couldn't let anymore of her babies fall and hurt themselves.  The woman shouted for the triplets to stay where they were.

 

"Mommy wait!" (y/n) cried out.

 

And...now she was on the floor too.  She looked over at her son who had now been helped up by the eldest.  Little (y/n) was practically tip-toeing towards her carefully, and on reaching her mother, she shook her head in disappointment.

 

"Mommy, you didn't touch the wood.  It would've stopped you from falling."

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It only escalated from there.  And (y/n)'s family, though sceptical in the past, began to think that it was all a little too coincidental.

 

Not long after the ice rink, she'd started suffering from terrible nightmares.  She would wake up in the middle of the night screaming.  So (y/n) started reading more, locking herself away and losing herself in the fantasy worlds.  She read dream books and fairy-tales and the occasional craft book.  And with saved up pocket money that she'd been given from her grandparents and mother for her birthday, (y/n) pulled her siblings into a craft shop.  She picked up different colours of thread and beads and feathers.

 

On the way home, right before crossing the road, she'd suddenly grabbed Liam and Maya.  Pulling them back onto the path just as a car sped past, missing them by mere inches.

 

They were silent the rest of the way home, much too spooked to say anything.  The two then watched with wide eyes as their sister sat at the table, dumping the craft supplies and the book and sat for hours making three very intricate looking dream-catchers.

 

The two followed (y/n) like ducklings to her and Maya's room and watched as she hung one dream-catcher above her bed and another above Maya's.  Strangely enough, their sister then climbed under her bed and pulled out two horseshoes.  She hung one on the bedroom door, with the ends pointing upwards before doing the same with Liam's bedroom door, then going in and placing the final dream-catcher above his bed.  She stepped back and smiled at them.

 

"The horseshoes are for luck.  They're made of iron too.  So evil spirits won't come near us in our sleep now.  The dream-catchers will keep the bad dreams away."

 

They never did have any nightmares after that.  Both Maya and Liam never doubted her either.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The deja vu feelings started in high school.

 

(Y/n) had forgotten to study for a maths test.  It was her worst subject and the teacher didn't exactly help.  Mr Watts absolutely terrified her and seemed to take great enjoyment in towering over her as he yelled at her for not getting a question right, (y/n) close to tears when she could hear the other students snickering.  She just knew that she was going to fail.  She could feel it.

 

But when she sat down and looked at the questions in front of her, (y/n) felt something inside her almost guiding her into what to put.  She was at a complete loss for what to do.  At first glance she didn't even know what any of it meant.  So she decided to say 'Fuck it'.  If she was going to fail, then she might as well make an effort so it's not obvious that she didn't study.

 

So she went with her instincts.  Followed the feeling.  Every now and then she'd come to a question, go to circle one answer and then would get stopped by the feeling.  It would tell her to put something else.  She would never be sure because she was convinced that the answer she was originally going to put would be right.  When there were only five minutes left she decided to throw caution to the wind and just go with the feeling.

 

(Y/n) only just managed to pass the test.  A couple of questions were the deciding factor.  The very questions that the feeling had guided her on.

 

The feeling had also come back when she'd been about to walk into the girl's bathroom at lunch time.  The feeling had told her that it would be a better idea to find a different one.  It had helped her with the math test, so she figured 'Why not?'.

 

The next girl who went into the bathroom was ambushed by a gang of older girls.  The girl's things had been stuffed down one toilet while her face was pushed into another.  The poor blonde came stumbling out of the bathroom soaking, hugging her backpack to her chest and sobbing as the cruel laughter of the older girls echoed out from within.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

(Y/n) had the deja vu feeling often after that.  It would mostly involve little things.  Deciding to leave the house earlier so she wouldn't miss the bus (that would suddenly decide to arrive early) so she could get to college on time.  Deciding that eating the last cupcake was NOT the best idea because Maya might not have had one yet and there would be a war started if she doesn't get one (what the feeling told her).

 

She had never really felt it very strongly.  Until two years ago.  The middle of December.

 

(Y/n) had been coming home from college.  She missed the bus and while waiting had decided to do a bit of shopping.  The college had some stores nearby and she needed to get some Christmas presents.  She could easily do that and kill some time.  A win-win situation.

 

She found a jewellery store, buying a beautiful set of sapphire earrings for her Mom.  Her Mom had always loved sapphires.  (Y/n) couldn't wait to see her face.  She loved seeing everyone's reactions to the presents she got them.  Nothing made her happier.

 

And so, with her Mom's Christmas present safely tucked away in her owl bag, which had lasted so long at this point that she was wondering if it could ever be damaged, (y/n) walked back to the bus stop.  She only had to wait a few minutes before boarding and plugging in her headphones to listen to her iPod.

 

It was when (y/n) had reached her stop and got off the bus that the deja vu feeling hit her so hard that she almost keeled over.

 

About ten paces ahead was an alleyway that she'd have to walk through in order to get home.  It didn't have any streetlights to light the path besides the one at the entrance, and it was way after dark now.  It would be practically pitch black in there.  It was always especially dark in the winter which made it extra creepy, but (y/n) had never had any problems walking through.

 

The feeling was telling her to walk past the alleyway.  To go to the corner where the main road turned into side roads.  If she followed the road and side roads, then it would take her an extra fifteen minutes to get home.

 

_But at least I'll be safe...._

 

She shuddered.  (Y/n) didn't know where that thought came from.  But the feeling was coming in waves, telling her to steer clear of the alley.  The alternate route WOULD take longer, but there would be lots of houses nearby.  People.  Safety....

 

She didn't want to risk it, quickly moving to obey the feeling.

 

It did take an extra fifteen minutes to get home.  She was cold.  She was irritable.  She was tired.  Her feet ached.  But she was safe.

 

(Y/n) and Maya were woken in the middle of the night by sirens.  Looking out the window, they saw that nearly the whole street was up, opening their doors and watching what was going on.  As they opened the door, the sisters watched as police cars and a forensic van surrounded the exit to the alleyway.  Some people (y/n didn't know what the official name for them were) came out of the alley, carrying a body-bag.  The whole alley had been taped off, photos being taken and police asking people questions.  Maya didn't want (y/n) in the middle of it, quickly hurrying her inside.

 

The next morning, it was reported on the news.  A young woman had been attacked and raped in the alley.  She'd been stabbed several times by the attacker who had been waiting there for a victim.  They managed to figure out from her body that she'd died not long after (y/n) arrived home.

 

She stayed in the bathroom nearly all day, vomiting and thanking the deja vu.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

(Y/n) had that same powerful feeling now, the same one that had saved her life.

 

But what would she need saving from when she was safe in Sans' arms?

 

_Just stay quiet....Don't move and stay quiet...._

 

"sweetheart?"

 

Sans was awake.  She was facing away from him.  And the feeling was getting stronger.  She stayed still, didn't say anything and closed her eyes.  Managing to keep her breathing even and deep.  Sans chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.  She whimpered and he chuckled again, thinking that she was asleep and having a nightmare.  He pet her hair gently and spoke.

 

"don't worry sweetheart.  we'll never be apart again.  you're **mine!** and i'm never letting ya go.  no one's ever gonna take ya from me again...."

 

He nuzzled the top of her head and began to rub slow circles on her stomach.

 

**"i'll kill them first."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sans getting a lil creepy at the end there XP


	23. Press To Reset Your Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> anyone wonder why Reader was getting those deja vu feelings with Sans? Here's your answer...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, let me say thank you to everyone reading this story. I've managed to hit 500 kudos! Might not seem like much, but it really does mean a lot that so many people like reading this.
> 
> In other news, sorry the chapter is short....

It hadn't taken long for Sans to drift off to sleep.  It was easy now that he was holding (y/n). He felt so much more at ease with her in his arms.  Even calming her in her sleep from whatever nightmare was plaguing her was soothing.  It was waking up the next morning that he hated.  Because even though (y/n) was still in his arms, he had that horrible familiar headache and sick feeling in his non-existent stomach.

 

The ones he would get when there had been a reset.

 

He took a shortcut.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Frisk was usually quite cheerful and very determined.  Their journey through the Underground was testament to that.  Sans and the others finding out the truth had changed that of course.  Most of their friends didn't blame them for what happened.  But no matter how many times they tried, Sans and Papyrus wouldn't talk to them.  And so their cheerful demeanour soon left, and their determination began to waver.

 

Frisk swore that they would never reset.  They had promised Sans!  So they weren't really surprised when said skeleton suddenly appeared in the kitchen where they were slowly eating cereal.  He'd appeared so suddenly that Flowey started choking on his food and Toriel had been so startled that she'd dropped the plate of eggs and bacon that she'd been bringing to the table.

 

Sans stormed up to the child, red magic flaming out of his socket and practically snarling, literally moments away from summoning a blaster.  Toriel had to step in front of him before he stopped, baring his teeth at her and growling when she made no sign of moving.  He looked at Frisk.

 

"what the fuck did you do?!"

 

Flowey looked over at his best friend, who was visibly trembling in their seat.  Toriel held up both of her paws in an attempt to calm him down.

 

"Sans, as wonderful as it is to see you up and about, you can't just - "

 

She was cut off as Sans snapped his jaws at her like a wild animal.  He was definitely not in the mood for talking.  It was going to be hard, if not impossible to reason with him.  Still keeping her eyes on the furious skeleton monster in front of her, Toriel told Flowey to call Papyrus.  His brother would know how to deal with Sans.  She just had to keep him calm until then.

 

The goat monster was about to speak again, perhaps make a joke to get him to lighten up a little.  Sans cut her off when he pointed at Frisk and spoke.

 

"you!  you reset!  you promised that you wouldn't reset!"

 

For the first time since this confrontation, Toriel turned her gaze towards her adoptive child.  They looked so frightened and....guilty....

 

"Oh Frisk....tell me you didn't..." she whispered brokenly.

 

Frisk shook their head frantically.

 

"That's not what - I didn't!  I didn't reset!" they argued.

 

Sans growled and rolled his eyes.  He didn't believe them.  Why else would he have the same feeling he always got after a reset, and why else would the kid look so guilty?

 

"if ya didn't reset then what the hell happened?" he demanded.  He needed to know what was wrong.  He needed to know what the danger was so he could keep his sweetheart safe.  He would **kill** who or whatever intended to harm her, and then they could be **together forever....**

 

"I loaded...." Frisk finally said.

 

There was silence before they continued.

 

"I didn't reset.  Resetting would send everything back to the beginning, to when I first fell into the Underground.  I loaded instead...."

 

When the monsters in the room still looked confused, Frisk sighed.

 

"Loading is when I go back to a certain point in time."

 

Sans went cold.

 

"how many times have you loaded on the surface?"

 

"Only three.  The first time was two days ago."

 

"Why?  What happened two days ago Frisk?" Flowey spoke up.

 

....

 

Frisk didn't want to speak about why they loaded.  It would make it seem more real....

 

"Sans died.  He...he lost all hope of (y/n) coming back, and he fell down." they said softly, unable to look their mother and friends in the eyes.

 

The skeleton felt his eyelights vanish.  He would've died....two days ago?  Two days ago....that had been when (y/n) came back to him.  Because she'd had a dream....

 

He felt even more grateful that she had returned.  But why were there two other loads?

 

"if the first load was just two days ago, when where the other two loads?  and why?"

 

Frisk sobbed and started shaking more.  Toriel couldn't ignore her child now and wrapped her arms around them in a loving embrace, shushing and rocking them to bring them comfort.

 

"The sec-second time was yesterday.  A-around lunch time.  I *hic* I don't know w-what h-happened, b-but....You teleported here, you were crying.  You begged me to reset to bring her back.  You *hic* you said that you didn't mean to hurt her!  That nothing would've happened if she had left it alone!"

 

Sans felt an icy feeling crawl up his spine and find its way into his soul.  His bones began to rattle.

 

_no...no way...there's no way i could've possibly...._

 

Frisk carried on.

 

"The third load was last night.  You came here again.  You wanted me to reset.  You said that you were just trying to reassure her that you could keep her safe, but she got frightened and upset!  That it was just a stupid fight, you....you didn't mean to kill her...."

 

The child was still shaking.

 

"Who did Sans hurt, Frisk?  Who did he kill?" Toriel asked gently, trying to coax it out of her child.

 

Everyone could audibly hear the skeleton rattling.  He began to shake his head, somehow already knowing the answer and dreading it the second that Frisk looked up and made eye-contact with him.

 

"(Y/n)..." they sobbed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> looks like another angst train pulled into Fluff Village. what an unexpected arrival....seriously, I didn't plan this. it just happened Dx


	24. Cause Of Death: Anime Feels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Reader talk.
> 
> Chapter title inspired by: https://www.lookhuman.com/design/82099-cause-of-death-anime-feels/baseball-shirt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured it's about time you all have some more fluff :3

"(Y/n)..."

 

Toriel lifted her head and made eye contact with Sans.  The expression on his face was so heart-broken that she almost felt tears form in her own eyes.  He was genuinely terrified of the fact that he had killed (y/n) twice.  And he couldn't remember.....

 

Sans had started raking his phalanges across his skull, gripping on to his sockets, pulling on his gold tooth.  Doing anything to try and convince himself that this was not real.

 

_this isn't real.  this is a nightmare.  this isn't happening.  i'd never hurt sweetheart!_

 

_..._

 

_right...?_

 

From what Frisk said, what had happened in those timelines had been accidents.  He hadn't meant anything by it.  It was no secret how strong of a monster he was.  He could kill someone and not even think twice about it.  He wouldn't lose any sleep, why should he?  Violence was what he grew up with.  But (y/n)?  She was so kind and fragile.  She'd never want to pick a fight.  Especially not with him.  She couldn't even bring herself to T-P houses on Mischief Night!  Let alone hurt or kill something.  She wouldn't stand a chance in hell against someone like him.

 

The question is: what started it?  What made him accidentally kill (y/n) the first time at one point yesterday, and then again at a completely different time?

 

"Sans...."

 

He finally focused on the world.  Frisk was still crying, Flowey was watching him carefully and Toriel had the crying child in her arms watching him.

 

He couldn't stay here any longer.  He needed (y/n).

 

"Sans, wait!"

 

That was all he heard from Toriel before he disappeared into the void and reappeared in his bedroom.

 

The room itself was a mess.  It was a mess on usual days, but now that (y/n) was here it had grown even messier.  The trash tornado was in one corner.  He'd left the treadmill in the Underground.  He'd been too lazy to bring it up to the surface.  There was a bookshelf against one wall that was filled with science and joke books.  A wardrobe was next to it.  A plush black carpet covered the floor, something that he knew his sweetheart appreciated greatly, and the walls and ceiling were painted maroon red.  Clothes were scattered across the floor, his because he liked being messy and hers because she'd thrown them out of her suitcase when looking for those fairy card things.  His king size bed was up against the final wall, covered in a dark grey duvet.

 

(Y/n) was curled up under the covers, taking up hardly any space and had taken to cuddling the white rabbit while he was gone.  She made a little snuffling noise in her slumber as she sneezed.

 

She still sounded like a little mouse.

 

Sans walked over quietly, lifting up the covers and climbing in carefully so he wouldn't wake her.  After pulling the covers over himself, he allowed himself to shift a little closer to his sweetheart.  After arguing with himself for some time, he slowly lifted up his hand to stroke (y/n)'s cheek tenderly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear gently when it fell into her face.

 

(Y/n) began to stir slightly at the sensation, mumbling incoherently before her eyes fluttered open.  She yawned, tears springing to her eyes from the action before looking up at Sans.  She tilted her head.

 

"Sans?  Is...Is everything okay?" she whispered.

 

Sans let out a sob and pulled her to his chest, causing her to squeak once again.  He clung to her tightly, trying to reassure himself that she was there with him.  She was okay.  She was alive.  He wanted to tell her this, but at the moment he could only think of one thing to say.

 

"i'm sorry!" he sobbed, he didn't know what caused the first death.  But he could at least try and apologise for the second.  He at least had some idea of what he did there.

 

"sweetheart, i'm so sorry if i frightened you last night.  i didn't mean it!  the last thing i ever wanted to do was scare ya!"

 

He continued to sob and hug her to him.  (Y/n) hugged him back, a little bewildered at first until it occurred to her what he was talking about.  It could only really be one thing.

 

She kissed his skull and wiped his tears.

 

"I forgive you."

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

(Y/n) had pulled Sans out of the bedroom and sat him down on the couch before making her way into the kitchen.  The skeleton whined when she'd pulled out of his grip and left him, but he made no move to follow her.  So he tugged at some stray threads on his jacket instead to try and distract himself.

 

After what seemed like an eternity of tugging on threads and listening to Friends playing on the TV as background noise, (y/n) came back into the living room with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate.  She pushed one mug into Sans' hands before sitting next to him and taking a delicate sip of her own, sighing contentedly and then looking at Sans.  She gave him a small smile which was all the encouragement he needed to take a sip of his own.

 

_oh my god...._

 

He could see why his sweetheart loved the stuff so much now.  He wasn't a sweet tooth like she was, but this?  Damn, this was almost enough to convert him.  Hot chocolate had never tasted like this before!  Sans looked over at (y/n), eyelights fuzzy and nearly turning to stars from the taste.  She giggled.

 

"I put milk in before the hot water.  Makes it taste extra creamy," she laughed.

 

He just chuckled.  And all this time he'd been following the instructions.  No wonder it tasted like shit.  The next time they all had a movie night, he was definitely getting (y/n) to make this.

 

"Sans.  We need to talk."

 

His grin became strained and his pinpricks shrank as he heard those words.  They only ever meant one thing.  This was it.  She was leaving him for sure this time.  She may have said that she forgives him, but that didn't mean anything.  She was gonna leave, and he wouldn't be able to stop her.  He couldn't because it was all his fault in the first place.

 

"Sans...about last night....you frightened me Sans..." she whispered.

 

"i'm sorry..."

 

"I know.  But you need to listen.  I don't blame you for saying something like that."

 

"i'll get papyrus to take ya home then - wait, what?!"

 

He stared at her, hardly able to believe what was coming out of her mouth.  She smiled nervously and placed her mug on the coffee table, reaching for Sans' hands.  He placed his own mug on the table and immediately took hold of her hands, revelling in how small they were, stroking them softly in gentle encouragement.  This gave (y/n) the courage to continue.

 

"Sans, after everything we've been through, that YOU'VE been through, this kind of thing was bound to happen sooner or later.  From what happened in those previous timeline things, the last thing you would want is for something to happen to me, or for someone to take me away!  And with the way you grew up in the Underground, it's perfectly natural that the first thing you think of in order to respond to any kind of 'threat' to us is with violence."

 

Sans stayed silent.  She did make an excellent point.  He was terrified of something bad happening to her again, like in those previous timelines.  It was kill or be killed in the Underground, and if you owned something then you had to fight for it.  Those same ideals were also applied to possible mates.  If some other monster showed interest in your mate, then you had to fight them.  To prove that you were the better monster, better able to take care of your mate and as such the losing monster would usually end up dusted as a result.

 

But of course, they weren't in the Underground anymore.  They were on the surface.  Things were different now, and they had to play by different rules.  Normally he wouldn't give a fuck.  But for his sweetheart, he would do anything.  Even change the timeline itself.

 

"I think we need some boundaries.  Nothing major, just...maybe I should go back home and live with Maya, and....maybe we should take our relationship slowly?"  

 

She looked more and more nervous as she continued.  Sans had to try not to jump for joy.  She wasn't leaving him.  She still wanted to be with him.  She just wanted to take it slow.  He could do that!  He WOULD do that!  And maybe living with her sister again would be a good thing.  She hadn't seen her siblings in months, surely she must've missed them!  He would be patient, even if it took all the time in the world.  He would do it for her.  So he grinned, and nodded.  Showing that he was supporting her in her decision, that he wasn't mad.  She seemed to relax and her smile grew as she tightened her grip on his hands.

 

"I know that you're scared of losing me again.  And I'm kinda scared of losing you too.  I know you can handle yourself in a fight, but I don't want you to risk it.  Especially not for me.  Besides, I guess you could say that I've got some tricks of my own up my sleeve."

 

Sans raised a brow bone at her as she winked.  What on earth could his sweetheart mean by that?

 

"what do ya mean?"

 

She smiled again.

 

"Sometimes I get this weird deja vu feeling.  Like, I'll be about to do something, but then this feeling will come out of nowhere and...I don't know how to describe it.  It's kinda like a little voice in my head, but it's not at the same time?  I don't know...Anyway, the feeling will tell me to do something completely different than what I was originally going to do.  If that makes sense."

 

She drew circles into his hands softly, looking into her lap.

 

"It's saved my life more than once."

 

Sans blanched.  Could it be....?  Did (y/n) know how to load?  No, that's impossible.  She didn't have enough Determination in her soul.  It was borderline non-existent.  Could she remember?  No.  She wouldn't get the deja vu if she did remember.  But maybe...maybe this deja vu feeling, was remnants of another (y/n).  One that had died or failed in some way in a previous timeline.  What if those little remnants of other (y/n)s had joined together to become something similar to Chara?  Frisk said that at first, Chara had been like a guiding voice in their head.  Chara had been a corrupted and evil little shit of course, but (y/n)?  Well, it was possible that she could have something similar.  But would the feeling also become corrupted like Chara?  Or would it stay true to his sweetheart's main soul trait and continue to be like a kind guardian angel?

 

Only time would tell.

 

"Hey."

 

He pulled himself back out of his thoughts. ** ~~~~**

 

"sweetheart, will you tell me whenever you get these feelings in the future?  and tell me what they're saying?  just so i can try and help...."

 

She beamed and it was like Sans was seeing the sun shining again for the first time.

 

_so beautiful..._

 

(Y/n) nodded eagerly, kissing his cheekbone.

 

"We're a team, yeah?  We'll get through this together."

 

She looked up at him hopefully and he chuckled.  He nuzzled into her hair, pulling her onto his lap as they cuddled.

 

"together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> told ya it's fluffy :3
> 
>  
> 
> can't believe this is the first time I've ever described Sans' room


	25. It's Cold Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This isn't a Christmas chapter. It just so happened to start snowing where I live the other day which got me all excited and inspired (because I was starting to suffer from writer's block).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you believe me if I said that this is the first romance story I've ever written. Somehow, angst is easier xD
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Today's chapter title is inspired by: https://www.rosegal.com/long-sleeve-dresses/christmas-snowflake-graphic-tunic-t-shirt-958946.html

After talking everything out, (y/n) thought it might be best to call Maya and let her know that she was coming home.  Sans had to agree.  He knew what it was like to be an older sibling, and understood why Maya and Liam were so protective of her.  He realised that he probably had a role in the reason why they were so protective in the first place.  So the least he could do was make sure that (y/n) got home okay.

 

Maya was the only one there when they eventually teleported to her home.  To say she wasn't amused in the slightest would be the understatement of the century.  She was furious.  At the both of them.

 

"Why didn't you call me or Liam to tell us you were coming home?  Why didn't you call me to tell me you WERE home?  Why have you suddenly decided to forgive this guy?!"

 

He would've been offended but he could actually see where she was coming from.  (Y/n) should've at least called to let her know that she was home and staying with him for a day or two.  At least Maya would've known she was safe.  (Y/n) just smiled sheepishly and tried to calm her down, they were beginning to attract quite a bit of attention from people passing by.

 

Eventually her sister stopped shouting enough to take a few deep breaths before frowning at the both of them.  She gestured for the two of them to go inside, massaging her temple slightly as she stomped into the kitchen in Minnie Mouse slippers and returning with a mug of coffee.  (Y/n) rubbed her arm nervously while Sans closed the door, enclosing his sweetheart's small hand in his.  He could feel the nervousness coming off her in waves.

 

And so they sat down, deciding to talk like adults for once and told Maya the whole story.  Of course Sans had to teleport back to his house to bring the photos.  The eldest triplet raised an eyebrow, not looking convinced in the slightest.  And then she'd looked at the photos.  Sans could see that she still didn't quite believe, but there was definitely some doubts beginning to show.  She was beginning to believe.

 

What really sold the story though was (y/n).

 

"Maya, do you remember when we were kids and I had those dreams that always seemed to come true?"

 

Maya stared blankly at her sister.

 

"Was this before or after you hung up the dream catchers and horse-shoes?"

 

Sans raised a brow bone and sent a questioning look towards (y/n).

 

"what the fuck is a dream catcher?"

 

She ignored the question.

 

"After.  Like when I dreamt about hearing that music before hearing it in a video game I'd never played or heard of before.  And when I dreamt about mom getting a new job right before she got an interview."

 

Maya's eyes flashed in understanding, her mouth opening in a small "oh".  She mumbled something about "psychic sisters" and (y/n) giggled.  Sans had the distinct feeling that he was missing out on an inside joke between the two.  Maya looked down at the pictures, focusing on the wedding picture and baby scan.

 

"So this," she started, gesturing towards the photos. "This really happened."

 

The other two nodded.  They sat in silence for a long time.  Maya just stared at the photos, not quite believing.  (Y/n) watched her and wrung her hands in her lap, tugging on the end of her jumper (it was pink, featuring a grumpy looking cat wearing wings and a horn.  The writing on the jumper said "I'm really a unicorn").  Sans placed one bony hand on her back, rubbing small circles in an attempt to calm her down.  Finally Maya looked up.

 

"I still don't really believe you."

 

Sans blanched.  Damn.  He forgot how scary that glare was.

 

"But...."

 

He dared to hope.  He hoped that (y/n)'s sister forgave him, and that she approved of their newfound relationship.

 

"I trust you..."

 

Sans silently cheered.  He could've jumped for joy.

 

"Oh yeah, not you."

 

Maya directed her gaze at him.

 

_wait.  what?_

 

"I trust (y/n).  I don't trust you at all.  I still hate you."

 

He barked out a laugh.  Okay.  He should've expected that.  Of course his sweetheart's protective older sister would still hate him.  If he was in her position, he wouldn't have forgiven anyone that easily.  It would take time.  But he could deal with that.  Though (y/n) was mortified and attempting to scold Maya, he just nodded.

 

"fair enough."

 

 

* * *

 

 

He was so tired.

 

Sans had been re-reading the texts he'd received from (y/n).  Now that everything had been cleared up and they were in a relationship, the two had been texting non-stop.  Well, only when they weren't hanging out.  They had been constantly texting and calling each other, as well as sending the occasional picture.

 

The last picture that was sent was probably his favourite.  (Y/n) had taken a selfie, rubbing one of her eyes with a sleepy smile.  Her hair was sticking up everywhere in an adorable bedhead, but the best part was that she was wearing a bunny onesie.  That was slightly too big for her petite frame.  He'd set it as his wallpaper on his phone and had been in a good mood for the rest of the day.

 

That was yesterday.

 

Now, he was tired.  Not the kind of tired that he was before, when he just wanted to give up.  The kind of tired you feel when you stay up late talking to your adorable girlfriend because neither of you can just quite bring yourselves to be the one to hang up.  Oh yeah.  That was something that happened.  In the end, Papyrus grabbed the phone off him, immediately apologising to (y/n) for being rude, but that Sans was tired and it would be best if he went to bed before he became too grumpy and/or passed out from lack of sleep.

 

Sans had felt his skull start to glow bright red in embarrassment as he heard her laughing, saying something to Papyrus.  The taller skeleton had grumbled and said "BE QUICK, HUMAN!" before handing the phone back to his brother.

 

Sans held the phone to his skull, waiting for her to say something.  There was a quiet giggle.

 

"Who's a grumpy baby?" (y/n) asked teasingly.

 

He felt his skull glowing brighter.

 

"wha-oh shut up!"

 

She burst out laughing.

 

"i'll talk to ya tomorrow, 'kay sweetheart?"

 

The laughter began to die down.

 

"Haha okay.  Goodnight Sans!"

 

"heh, goodnight sweetheart."

 

They'd left it at that.  They hadn't said "I love you".  It was way too soon for that, even if they were soulmates.  Besides Sans promised that they would take things slow.  They would do things at her pace.  He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he knew that would spook her.  And he didn't want to risk another load.  He couldn't bear to be the reason that (y/n) had died a third time.

 

Which brought up another issue.  How was he going to tell her about that?  Should he tell her the truth?  Hide it?  He didn't know which would be the best thing to do anymore.

 

So for now, he was content to just lay in bed and try to get some more sleep.  Just as he was about to drift off, he registered a knocking at the door and Papyrus answering, talking quietly with whoever was at the door.  Huh.  He forgot his brother could talk quietly sometimes.  Sans ignored it and continued to snuggle down in his duvet.  If he's lucky, then he'll be able to sleep the day away.

 

That was what he thought would be able to happen.

 

Instead he was startled awake when something jumped on the bed, shaking him repeatedly before continuing to bounce.

 

"Come on Sans!  Wake up!  Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up!" a very excited sounding (y/n) shouted at the top of her lungs.

 

The skeleton grumbled and lamented the loss of the peaceful slumber he could've had before allowing the girl to pull the blankets off him.  He sat up, grumbling sleepily and stared at her.

 

She was wearing a grey winter coat, the pink and purple scarf and a knitted grey hat with a pom pom.  He smirked when he saw that the pom pom was almost as big as her head.  (Y/n) was grinning widely, her cheeks and the tip of her nose tinged a rosy red colour.  Most likely from the cold weather.  But her eyes....stars, her eyes.  They were wide and twinkling with a child-like wonder and excitement.  He was pretty certain that if she had magic, she would be able to turn them into stars from how excited she was.

 

Sans smiled softly, opening his arms and allowing (y/n) to crawl into his arms, giggling as she gave him a quick kiss.  He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his forehead to hers, chuckling.

 

"what's got ya all excited sweetheart?"

 

"IT'S SNOWING!" she all but shouted in his face, ending with a squeal that was just too cute for words.

 

Snowing?  He glanced out of his bedroom window.  (Y/n) was right.  It had snowed heavily overnight, the snow sticking to the ground to create a thick white blanket.  With the snow still coming down and showing no signs of stopping and both monster and human kids playing together and building snowmen, it really gave the whole landscape a really beautiful "winter wonderland" vibe.

 

He almost didn't know what to do when his soul started aching slightly.  It reminded him so much of Snowdin.  And not the one he grew up in.  This is exactly what he had in the original timeline.  He was getting small flashbacks.  They were reminding him of what he USED to have.  What he gave up to become....

 

_Sans and Papyrus moved to Snowdin when they were only young children.  Their father was much too busy to look after them, and they no longer had their mother Gigi around.  It was...lonely.  And then Sans met Grillby._

 

_He had been seven at the time, Papyrus had been three.  The young skeleton had been bored staying inside the house and his younger brother had been anxious to get out and about.  To start exploring and make new friends.  So when their father had left the house, Sans and Papyrus had rushed out into the cold.  Being skeletons, the cold didn't affect them at all.  But they still made sure to wrap up warm, right down to the rain boots.  And then they were off._

 

_They had walked through the town.  Papyrus loved the giant tree right in the centre decorated with lights and was very eager to join in the games with the other monster children.  Sans had been more interested in trying to catch the snowflakes, marvelling when they had melted on contact with his hand.  He'd never seen snowflakes before, this was all so new to him._

 

_A wail from Papyrus brought him out of his thoughts and he was instantly alert.  From what he saw his brother had tried to approach the others, no doubt trying to issue a friendly greeting, that was when Sans had turned away for a few moments.  But now he was greeted with the sight of a wailing Papyrus on the ground._

 

_Sans had seen red and had gotten into his first fight with one of the monsters.  The fight was broken up by none other than Grillby who had stepped outside to see what the commotion was.  The fire elemental had taken in the scene before him and immediately put the pieces together as the monster and their friends ran off to hide.  It didn't matter.  He knew who their parents were and he would be having words with them later._

 

_He turned back to the two skeletons.  Papyrus was snivelling, hiding behind Sans in fear as the older skeleton clutched at his right socket.  Grillby sighed and knelt down, smiling warmly (heh) in an attempt to calm the two down.  He looked down at the smaller skeleton and his smile grew wider._

 

_"Are you...Gaster's boys?" he asked._

 

_Sans was only able to nod once before pain exploded in his socket once again.  He closed his socket as he felt a bony hand grip onto his.  Seeing how much pain the skeleton was in, it didn't take long for Grillby to usher the two inside his restaurant.  The fire elemental then proceeded to call Gaster, tending to Sans' eye the best he could and then giving the two fries and a burger with a milkshake (the start of what was to become a never-ending tab and a beautiful friendship for Sans)._

 

_Sans hadn't been able to glow his right eye after that day, but thanks to Grillby he hadn't gone blind in that eye.  Something which Gaster and Sans were very grateful for.  Being old friends with Gaster had its advantages.  Apparently the two older monsters used to get into all sorts of 'mischief'.  Gaster wasn't able to use healing magic, but Grillby could.  Something that came in very handy._

 

_Because they were new to the town and didn't know anyone very well, Grillby had introduced the skeleton family to the people who lived there._

 

_Not long after that, Sans discovered his love for puns.  Being able to naturally make monsters laugh made him popular, and as Papyrus got older and grew to be so kind and encouraging that he forgave the monsters that once bullied him, the brothers were able to make many happy memories...._

 

Sans could remember those happier times now in the original timeline now as he looked out the window.  And his soul ached because he didn't know whether he was sad because he didn't have that anymore, or glad because he now had a chance to get things right.

 

He wished that he'd met Grillby in the same way as the original timeline.  It was less humiliating than when he was shown the pity that HIS Grillby showed when he found him looking for food in the trash behind the restaurant, because he was running out of food to give to his baby brother.

 

(Y/n) seemed to sense his inner turmoil as she placed a hand on his shoulder.  When he looked back at her she was watching him, obviously concerned.  He grinned sadly and shrugged.

 

"don't worry about me sweetheart."

 

She pouted slightly.

 

"We agreed to tell each other if something was bothering us."

 

Ah shit.  He knew agreeing to something like that late at night when he was tired as hell would come back and bite him in the metaphorical ass.

 

"it's just....the snow, right now.  it kinda reminds me of where i grew up.  in snowdin.  i look out the window and it's like being in snowdin in the original timeline, only on the surface.  it wasn't like that in _my_ snowdin."

 

(Y/n) frowned and then smiled brightly.  She tugged him into finally standing.

 

"Well then, I guess this is a good opportunity for us to make brand new memories in the snow!  And we'll make them better too!  I guarantee it!"

 

Sans stared at the floor.  He didn't want to make a big deal out of it.  Then he felt two small soft hands cup his cheeks, lifting his skull slightly so he could look into his sweetheart's eyes.  She smiled softly, as the overwhelming need to comfort her soulmate finally overcame her.

 

"Hey, it'll be okay.  We'll have a fun day.  If it gets to be too much then we can come back here or go to my place.  We can watch a movie and have hot chocolate and mustard and get all wrapped up in blankets.  And we can just cuddle.  Sound like a plan?" she asked.

 

Sans thought it over.  It would be nice to actually be able to go out in the snow without worrying about getting dusted.  And the alternative plan sounded good too!  Trust his sweetheart to think of everything and come up with a backup plan to make sure they both had fun.

 

The skeleton smiled more genuinely.

 

"okay.  let's try your plan."

 

He couldn't help but laugh as (y/n) jumped and squealed in utter joy.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sans had to admit; he was pretty proud of the snowman that he and (y/n) had built together.

 

He had originally just made a lump of snow and carved his name into the snow.  But (y/n) was practically offended by what little effort he'd put into it.  So he'd helped her create a huge snowball, piling more snow at the bottom of it to make it more sturdy to stop it from falling.  He then sculpted a slightly smaller snowball and used his magic to lift it onto the first one while his soulmate concentrated on the head.  Once assembled, (y/n) turned to dig through a bag she'd dragged with her on a sledge.  Naturally a prankster, Sans took it upon himself to sculpt a dick and stick it to the snowman.  When (y/n) turned back, her arms full of various items, she immediately burst out laughing, which set him off as well.  And then she decided to add more by sculpting a pair of breasts and quickly placed a black floppy hat on its head, two huge googly eyes and red button on it's face with a carved smile before wrapping a tattered green scarf around its neck.  As if it wasn't comical enough, she ran back to the bag and dug out a neon pink bra and strapped it on, making sure the snow-breasts were tucked inside.

 

Sans stared at her as she worked, quirking a brow bone until she looked back at him grinning.

 

"I had a feeling you'd do something like that," she laughed.

 

The skeleton laughed again and finally took in the finished snowman.  What a sight.  They were already getting some disapproving looks from some parents and stuffy elderly folk.

 

(Y/n) bit her lip to keep from laughing more.

 

"I suppose we should move on before we get shouted at for being 'inappropriate'."

 

He didn't want to agree.  But they were just about finished here anyway.  Sans took a quick picture of the snowman, immediately uploading it to the Undernet.  This was a masterpiece that he wanted everyone to see.  He immediately got a notification.

 

**TerribleSkeleton95: SANS!  THAT'S DISGUSTING!  WHAT IF FRISK OR YOUR MATE SEES THIS?!**

 

He quickly typed out a response.

 

**punny skeleton: sweetheart's with me bro, she was the one who added the tits ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 

**punny skeleton: i'm so proud**

 

**TerribleSkeleton95: I FEEL SORRY FOR (Y/N) FOR HAVING TO PUT UP WITH YOU!**

 

Sans chuckled quietly.  Some things never change.

 

"Sans!  Come on!"

 

He looked up to see that (y/n) had already started walking away, pulling the sledge along with her.  He didn't know how she'd been able to get that far.  The sledge was pretty big and having to drag it through the thick blanket of snow couldn't have been easy.  He caught up with her quickly, taking note of how she was shivering a little.  He frowned a little when he saw that she wasn't wearing gloves.

 

He gently uncurled her hands that were dragging the rope to pull the sledge and placed them in between his own.  She watched with wide eyes full of wonder as he began to rub them gently, using his magic to warm them up.  Once he was satisfied that she was warm and toasty, he brought her hands up to meet his skeletal grin.  Kissing both hands softly and then placing soft little pecks on the tips of each finger.  Sans knew that his eye lights turned to hearts as she blushed and sputtered shyly.  She burrowed her face into her scarf, probably hoping to hide her embarrassment.  But Sans just chuckled and took hold of her chin softly, making her look up at him before bringing his face down to meet her lips in a gentle kiss.

 

Before (y/n) could get too embarrassed, he began to pull away.  He still respected the boundaries she'd put in place.  So he just winked at her and took the rope from her with one hand, gently tugging her along with the other.

 

"where to next sweetheart?"

 

(Y/n) didn't answer for a little while and when he looked back at her, he chuckled slightly at the beautiful blush that covered her face.  She seemed to be in a bit of a daze.  The good kind of daze if the goofy and dreamy smile was anything to go by.  She shook her head a little, causing him to laugh once again.

 

"Um - er....What were we going to do next....?" she wondered.

 

Sans laughed as she struggled to regain her thoughts causing her to scowl at him, though he knew there was no real malice behind it.

 

"Um...Oh!  Can you teleport us up to that really big hill up there?"

 

She pointed ahead of him.  It was hard to see at first because it was in the distance and was no doubt covered in snow which helped to blend it in with the grey sky.  But as he focused he could indeed make out a hill.  It didn't look that big because it was in the distance.  It would definitely be bigger in person.

 

He had a vague idea where this was going.  And who was he to deny his sweetheart her fun?  So he pulled her to him, keeping a tight hold of the sledge as he wrapped his arms around (y/n) and gripped her waist.  She gripped his jacket just as tightly, grin wide and eyes sparkling in excitement.

 

"hold on tight sweetheart."

 

When they reemerged from the void, Sans didn't stop the purr escaping him when (y/n)'s legs seemed to become jelly and he had to tighten his hold on her to stop her from falling into the snow.  As her legs regained their strength she began to giggle.

 

"You sound like a cat!"

 

"hehe meow."

 

She burst out laughing and shoved him playfully.

 

"You're such a dork!"

 

He just grinned.  (Y/n) tugged the rope from his hand and set the sledge up at the very top of the hill.  He raised a brow bone when she gestured for him to join her.

 

"you do realise that i'm probably gonna break that thing."

 

(Y/n) just scoffed.

 

"If this thing can hold my mom, dad, me, Liam and Maya all at the same time without breaking once over the years then I'm pretty sure that it can hold both me and you!  Besides, I trust you.  If anything starts to go wrong then I know you'll be able to get us out of it.  Right?"

 

Sans was amazed.  Stars he loved her so much.  He could tell how old this thing was, he could clearly see how big the hill was.  If anything went wrong....

 

But this was her way of showing how much she trusted him.  She trusted him to save them both if something happened.  She trusted him with her life.

 

So he eagerly climbed on the back of the sledge, (y/n) climbing in front of him.  He waited for her to get comfortable before wrapping his arms around her tightly, squeezing her softly as he rested his skull on her head.  And when they were both ready Sans pushed off with his magic, sending them careening down the hill, laughing and screaming until they reached the bottom.

 

They only returned to Sans' house after it got dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> btw, I'm thinking of doing another story. It's related to this story (same reader and OC's). But will be filled with one shots. And I was thinking that maybe the one shots could be requests from you guys. So whether it's angsty, fluffy, in the Fell or Tale universe I will write it. (does any of this make sense?)
> 
> My only request is that no one asks for smut or something like that. I don't think I'd be good at it, and I'm not the only one who uses this computer. I'm not sure what my family would think of me if they found out I wrote smut. They actually think I'm an innocent cinnamon roll xD 
> 
> anyone who has a request or a question, feel free to comment :)


	26. Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans has never heard of Valentine's Day before coming to the surface. And because this is the first real relationship he's had in this timeline, he's gonna need help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this may be the longest chapter I've ever written. sorry not sorry.
> 
> (Sorry this one's late) ;_;

"Sans dearie, I know you gathered us all here for a reason.  But we can't help you if you don't stop pacing!" Muffet said to the skeleton as she lifted her teacup, taking a delicate sip of golden flower tea.

 

The women gathered in the room currently consisted of Muffet, Toriel, Undyne, Alphys and Maya.  There were two other people in the room.  Mettaton and Frisk.  Toriel, Alphys and Frisk seemed on edge as they watched the furiously nervous skeleton pacing in front of them.  Muffet and Undyne seemed a little bored and Maya was currently inspecting her nails.  The red nail polish was starting to chip.  A pity; she'd only applied it a few days ago.  Mettaton seemed intrigued as he watched Sans who had now started to chew on the tips of his phalanges, eye socket twitching slightly.

 

Sans usually never talked to him unless absolutely necessary.  And in all the years that Mettaton had known him, the skeleton had never been like this.  Alphys had told him recently that Sans had found his soulmate in a human.  And judging by what he'd seen in the media and in stores recently, he had a pretty good idea as to what this might be about.  So he waited patiently, smirking as the skeleton tried to calm down from what could very well be a panic attack.

 

But of course, Sans continued to stay silent as he paced.  Eventually Undyne had enough.

 

"ARGH!  For fuck's sake Sans!  Will you just tell us what this is about already?" she shouted.  Toriel quickly sent a disapproving glance at the fish woman over her choice of language.  Undyne rolled her eyes.

 

Sans stopped and took a deep breath.  He turned towards them, red eyelights filled with slight panic.

 

"i need help."

 

Maya started laughing.

 

"We know you need help.  May I suggest a therapist?"

 

Undyne and Muffet joined in the laughter as Sans growled at her.

 

"not that kind of help!"

 

She just continued snickering, even when the youngest among them patted her on the head and told her to "be nice".  Maya just stuck out her tongue at them and grinned cheekily, causing Frisk to start grinning as well, albeit reluctantly.

 

"grrr fine!  forget it!  i'll figure it out on my own and just shoot myself in the foot while i do it!"

 

Sans began to storm off towards his room, grumbling.

 

"Sans, wait." Mettaton spoke.

 

He stopped and waited for the teasing that was bound to come from the damned robot.

 

"What is it you need help with darling?"

 

Sans turned and stared at the flamboyant robot sitting on the couch.  He genuinely seemed like he wanted to help.  And of course he wanted to help!

 

Mettaton had been what others would call a coward in the Underground, despising any kind of killing and violence whatsoever.  He still believed himself to be ugly (though the human fans he'd managed to obtain while on the surface struggled to see how) but he was getting better about feeling good about himself.  He was still a little wary around Alphys, one of the reasons why Undyne was sitting between them.  But Mettaton was sure that they could become real friends one day.  Frisk had convinced him it was possible.

 

The robot knew that Sans used to be in the same kind of situation as him with his own brother and he knew that the relationship between the two brothers had improved.  But the real change in the skeleton occurred once he met his soulmate.  Mettaton knew how rare soulmates were, he prayed that he had one himself.  Frisk and Toriel had already filled him and Muffet in on this "timeline" situation.  He found the whole story terribly romantic.  Tragic, but romantic all the same.  And Mettaton lived for romance, and would help it along in any way he could.  He wanted to tell the world about the whole story, but he and Muffet were sworn to secrecy.  Only a few knew about it at the moment and Frisk was worried that if everyone found out, then not only would there be a huge panic, but they could be taken away from Toriel.

 

So staying quiet while giving Sans relationship advice would have to be the next best thing.

 

Sans ran his hand over the back of his skull nervously, his grin strained as it struggled to pull into a frown.  He sighed.  He would just have to sit through an unknowable amount of teasing and forever have the knowledge that he was literally throwing out his reputation from the Underground.  That Sans from before is long gone, and this is the new one.  Asking for help on something which he never even imagined needing help with before.

 

"i need help with valentine's day." he muttered.

 

Mettaton smiled while the others just stared at him in shock.  Sans was asking for help with a holiday dedicated to love.  Naturally Alphys and Undyne started squealing.  Toriel, Muffet and Maya smiled knowingly and Frisk just grinned, waggling their eyebrows at him.  He huffed and turned his head, hoping the others in the room hadn't caught his blush.  They did.

 

"Okay dude, what do you need help with?" Maya asked as she sat back, placing her hands behind her head as she grinned.

 

She and (y/n) had this same conversation every year with Liam.  Their brother never seemed to learn and so naturally went to his sisters for advice.  Of course, (y/n) was the one who always gave him the best advice.  Which always seemed a little strange considering she'd never had a boyfriend.  She always just seemed to know what to do.  Maya herself had only celebrated a few times and judging by the gifts she had received, her sister had passed on some words of wisdom to her boyfriend at the time.  It was only fair that she return the favour.  Besides, (y/n) had no idea that she was even here.  She was currently dragging Liam around town (one of her ways of helping).  No doubt they would walk in later with a huge bunch of roses, a box of chocolates and a teddy bear carrying a heart and a card.  That was the "deluxe (y/n) valentine package".  A "standard valentine package" was a single rose, box of chocolates and a card.

 

Maya smirked at Sans' helpless expression.  The poor skeleton had started sweating slightly and he was gripping his skull again.

 

**" e v e r y t h i n g ! "**

 

Okay, yeah.  He really was panicking.  The woman shook her head.  Maybe this was going to be harder than she thought.

 

"Okay," she started and the monsters and child quietened down to listen.  Sans sat down on the only vacant armchair, sitting on the edge of his seat and eagerly paying attention to everything that Maya was going to say.  She was almost tempted to say something ridiculous.  But that wouldn't be fair.  She wasn't going to be responsible for messing up the very first Valentine's Day her sister would celebrate.

 

"Okay, let's start with something small," she continued.

 

"What flowers are you going to get her?"

 

Sans' pinpricks shrank, they had almost vanished they were so small.

 

"i have to get flowers?"

 

Maya face palmed as everyone else groaned.  She gestured for someone to take over as she started giggling hysterically.  She couldn't get over how clueless this guy was.  Muffet sighed and took the hint, placing her teacup down on the coffee table before speaking.

 

"Of course dearie!  Surely you must know how much (y/n) loves flowers."

 

Sans blinked.  Undyne stared at him.

 

"Dude, I know for a fact that you spend a lot of time with her, and I know ya love her!  We all know!  But, do you actually know anything about her?" she asked.

 

Maya raised a brow.  This was an interesting question.  The skeleton stuttered, scrambling for an answer.

 

"i know plenty about her!"

 

"So what do you know about your mate Sans?" Alphys asked.

 

"um....well er....she's the youngest triplet, maya's the oldest and liam is the middle triplet.  er...she has a massive sweet-tooth, loves thrill rides and horror movies.  she wears a lot of funny t-shirts, hehe she was wearing one when we first met.  um she really likes those fairy-tales and is fascinated by magic.  and she has a lot of strange shit on her netflix."

 

"And?"

 

"that's it."

 

Maya stood up and walked up to him, kneeling down so she could look him in the eye.  The interrogation began.

 

"What's her favourite colour?"

 

"no idea."

 

"Favourite flower."

 

"flowers have never even come up in any of our conversations."

 

"Birthday."

 

"....shit..."

 

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN HER BIRTHDAY IS?!" Everyone but Toriel yelled.  In the end it took both Tori and Mettaton to calm everyone down.

 

Maya frowned.  It was worse than she thought.  But, maybe they could still salvage something from this.  But first, she would have to find out if Sans knew any more than the bare bones of what little he actually knew about her sister.

 

"Favourite cake."

 

Sans sighed in relief.  With everyone watching him, he'd been getting more nervous, and it actually unsettled him a little that he didn't know as much as he thought he did about his soulmate.  At least he knew the answer to this one.

 

"strawberry shortcake.  with white chocolate shavings sprinkled on top."

 

Everyone held their breath at the fact that Sans gave an actual answer before looking to Maya.  She smiled and nodded, indicating that he had given the right answer before moving on.

 

"Favourite horror movie?"

 

Sans paused as he began to think.  This would be a tough one.

 

"hmm.  difficult to say.  she categorises horror movies."

 

Maya stared at him.  She laughed, not quite believing his answer.

 

"She puts them in categories?"

 

Sans nodded.

 

"yeah.  there's five categories: parody, supernatural, psychological, gore and jump-scare.  when she watches a horror, she'll sort it into whatever category she believes is right for it.  some movies will go into more than one category depending on what happens in it.  but if i had to choose one movie, i'd probably say.....final destination 3.  she said those movies always freak her out but she likes the third one best since it was the first one she saw.  oh and the second and fourth never happened.  it's just the first, third and then the fifth."

 

Maya laughed again.  She didn't know about the categories.  But Sans did get the question right.  In fact, he practically said the same thing that (y/n) said when talking about the series.  Her sister believed that the second and fourth movie didn't live up to the Final Destination standards.

 

"if we're talking about a horror that really freaks her out, then i'd go with either sinister or the blair witch project.  i've only got her to see sinister twice and i can't even get her to think about watching the remake of the blair witch.  something about seeing the original when she was seven."

 

He was right again.  And so it continued.  By the end of the interrogation, they'd managed to find out that when Sans and (y/n) first met, she was wearing the cookie t-shirt, her favourite fairy-tale was Alice in Wonderland because she loved how whimsical it was, she always puts milk in before hot water when making hot chocolate to make it more creamy and her favourite game was Kingdom Hearts.  To be specific Kingdom Hearts 2, the graphics and battle style made the game-play so much more enjoyable and she currently had every game in the series.  Oh and she would rage quit whenever in a fight with the long-assed sword guy.

 

"Okay, we can work with this."

 

Mettaton directed his gaze to (y/n)'s sister.  He sent a look towards her that clearly said 'are you sure?'.

 

Maya grinned, looking at Muffet.  The spider monster smiled back and clapped excitedly.  Undyne huffed and Alphys began grumbling about not having enough to go off.  The robot and goat monster started to scold them for being so negative while Frisk gave Sans a thumbs up.  He smiled back nervously.  He was still wary of the kid.

 

He hoped that they all could help him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was now 7:30 pm, the stars were out and it truly was a perfect night.  Sans was sitting on the bench in the same park where he had met his soulmate, currently stargazing.  It never got old.  The skeleton had hidden the presents in a dimensional box, he didn't want to spoil the surprise until he gave them to (y/n).  Who seemed to be running late.  Which unnerved him.  She hated being late.  And this was making Sans really worried.

 

He was just about to stand and go looking for her when Sans saw the girl walking as quickly as she could towards him.  She was waving and grinning, clearly excited.  Good thing that Maya was one of the people he'd asked for help.  He was about to pull her into an embrace and give her a kiss when she stopped him.

 

"WAIT!"

 

He stopped, raising a brow bone and stepping back hesitantly.  Had he done something wrong?  But she just smiled widely _(does she smell like chocolate?)_ and presented a red box with a black ribbon on the top.

 

"For you!  Happy Valentine's Day!" was all she said.

 

He smirked at how excited she was to see him open it and sat down, (y/n) sitting next to him and practically bouncing in her seat.  Whenever he went to open it however, she would just get more excitable than if Frisk ate a huge pile of candy and finished it with all the coffee in the world.  Eventually he sat the box on his lap and reached over to grab (y/n)'s arms gently, telling her to calm down or neither of them would be able to get their valentine.  So she sat on her hands and watched him as he tugged on the black ribbon and opened up the box.

 

He wanted to cry.  He truly wanted to.  Oh wait, he was.

 

Inside the box were sugar cookies.  Heart shaped sugar cookies.  On each one, "(y/n) ❤️ Sans" had been written in pink icing.  They looked delicious.  One or two was a little burnt around the edges and the icing was a little wonky, but he didn't care.  It was obvious that she had made them herself.  No one had ever made him anything like this before.  Sure, Toriel made food.  But she did that all the time for everyone!  His sweetheart however, had probably worked on these for the rest of the day after helping Liam.  Just for him.

 

The mental image of (y/n) being all domestic, baking heart shaped cookies while wearing a cute little apron was just too cute for his soul to handle.  He was crying.  Happy crying though.  Ah shit, (y/n) had taken it the wrong way, now she looked worried and upset.  He quickly placed the box of cookies down, pulling her into a tight hug as he giggled and pressed toothy kisses all over her face, causing her to giggle.  For the first time ever, Sans felt like he knew what it was like to be a blushing schoolgirl who had shared a pencil with their senpai.  Stars he loved her so much!  He loved her, he really did.

 

She tried to say something but he quickly shushed her as he began to pull out the presents he'd got her to show how much she meant to him.  Now he was the one bouncing in his seat in excitement, looking like a love-struck puppy.  In a way he was, but he wished she would hurry and say something.  (Y/n) stared at the presents and felt her own tears form.

 

There was a large bouquet of colourful flowers.  Luckily (y/n) knew what they meant, she had a feeling that that was the reason why Sans got her such a colourful bouquet with these particular blooms.  The white alpine aster flowers symbolized patience, elegance and daintiness and a love of variety.  Red and white carnations; red to symbolize love, pride and admiration while the white symbolized pure love.  A bunch of yellow daffodils to symbolize joy and happiness.  Lavender heather for admiration and beauty.  Hydrangea to express gratitude for being understood.  Lily of the Valley for sweetness and purity of heart.  Tulips, a declaration of love and a sunflower for adoration and dedicated love.  And in the middle of them all was a single red rose, a little diamante gem stuck on top.  (Y/n) didn't need to know the meanings of flowers to know what that one meant.  She was going to wonder how he managed to get so many different types of flowers, especially when some shouldn't even be in bloom!  She put it down to magic.

 

Sans handed her a box, similar to the one she had given him.  (Y/n) saw the skeleton's eager grin widen as she opened the box.  She burst out laughing, Sans joining in.  Inside the box was a giant chocolate chip cookie.  baked by Muffet herself.  Not only was it a little reminder of the day they met in this timeline, but it too was shaped like a heart.  They'd been thinking along the same wavelength the whole time.  But that wasn't what made them laugh.

 

_Weeks before, the two had been lounging on Sans' couch.  Eating lots of snacks, cuddling and binge watching Stranger Things.  Sans had to admit, it was addictive.  So much so that even after finishing both seasons, he'd had to rewatch it.  Not that (y/n) minded.  His soulmate had done well in making him watch it.  His favourite character in the whole show had to be Eleven._

 

_"hehe she has to be one of the best characters in this show," he chuckled as Eleven jump scared Hopper in the stupidest ghost costume ever._

 

_"Hehe yeah, she and Mike make the cutest little couple ever!" (y/n) squealed._

 

_Sans nodded in agreement.  The two characters may be fictional but they were a match made in heaven.  He grinned as a thought came to him._

 

_"you'd make a cute eleven, sweetheart."_

 

_She looked at him, a deadpan expression on her face as she stared at San's shit-eating grin._

 

_"If you're going to compare me to one of the characters, then don't compare me to El!  She's so badass!  And I'm....not.  If anything, I'm more like Mike." she pouted._

 

_Sans grinned then._

 

_"does that make me eleven then?" he laughed._

 

_(Y/n) threw a pillow at him, shouting at how she should never have the mental image of him in a dress and a blonde wig.  He laughed with her._

 

_"I will say this though."_

 

_Sans raised a brow bone and grinned at her, wondering what she would say._

 

_"You'd make a pretty ' **bitchin'** Eleven, Sans." _

 

_He laughed so much he squirted mustard out of his nasal cavity._

 

Now what would that little anecdote have to do with this? Well on the cookie iced in red were the words "You're the Mike to my Eleven".

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

A pair of amber eyes watched the skeleton and human girl laugh, cuddle and kiss from the darkness.  The person who owned them hated that girl.  She'd taken Sans away.  Sans only had eyes for the human now.  He wouldn't look at anyone else.  He'd never given _them_ presents, or spent time with  _them_ or cuddled.  Sans had only used _them_ for sex.  He'd never looked at  _them_ like he looked at that girl, with so much affection that his eyelights turned to hearts.  

 

**The human was going to pay for that.**

 

And then Sans would come to his senses.  He would realise that he could do so much better than THAT lowly human.  They smiled wickedly before disappearing into the darkness once again. 

 

Revenge would be sweet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> damn Sans, did you buy the whole flower shop or raid Asgore's garden? wtf? ever heard of overkill? xD
> 
> Hope you liked it!  
> Don't forget, if you have a request for a one-shot that takes place during/before this story then feel free to comment and I will get started on writing.  
> For anyone interested who doesn't know about it yet, my other story is here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/13656645/chapters/31367064


	27. Getting To Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It can be hard to be in a relationship when you hardly know the person you're in a relationship with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Holy shit, MsMK read this! So happy! （⌒▽⌒ゞ)
> 
>  
> 
> You have no idea how nervous I am about this chapter T_T

Sans sniffled pathetically as red tears streamed down his cheeks.  He was cuddling (y/n) on the couch, a blanket wrapped around the two of them to provide the much needed comfort as he rubbed soothing circles on her shoulder.  She was snivelling too and using the corner of the red blanket to wipe her eyes as she whimpered.  He buried his face in her neck and groaned.

 

"please sweetheart....tell me it's not true.  tell me this isn't really happening..." he whimpered.

 

She nuzzled his skull gently, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead as she whispered apologies.  He clung to her desperately as he sobbed.  It wasn't true.  There was no way that this was happening.  Not after everything.

 

"marley isn't really gonna die...he's just having a real long nap....right?"

 

The sad music he could hear playing from the TV confirmed his suspicions and he groaned once again.

 

"argh, sweetheart....why did i let you talk me into watching this?  i feel so fuckin' depressed!" he whined.

 

"I'm sorry!  But you kept laughing at the fact that I've cried at a movie and I wanted to....well, I wanted to see if you would cry too..."

 

He gaped at the girl in his arms.  That was cruel and he wasted no time in telling her.  She laughed bitterly and wiped the tears from her eyes once again as Sans grumbled.  He didn't need his heart and soul anyway.  He silently prayed that none of the dog monsters found this movie.

 

The whole thing had been so misleading!  It had been hilarious right from the start.  Of course there had been sad moments (he'd nearly crushed y/n's hand when Jenny lost the baby) but overall, he'd really enjoyed it.  In fact Sans couldn't help but wish for a dog just like that.  Just thinking about the mischief they could get up to had him snickering quietly for a moment.  And then there was that ending.  What a kick to the balls.

 

(Y/n) quirked a brow as she stood, wondering what he was thinking about.  Today's t-shirt was dark grey and read "Can't get out of bed.  Send help.  Or waffles.  Just send waffles." and she had a purple hoodie over the top.  She'd paired it with black skinny jeans and....fluffy unicorn slippers.  She shook her head at him slightly and walked into the kitchen, intending to stock up on some much needed comfort food.

 

After Valentine's Day, Sans had told her how uncomfortable he felt not really knowing anything about her.  Her face had gone blank at the time, until she realised that she didn't really know much about him either.  And that was why they had met up today.  The two had arranged to spend a day at (y/n)'s house, asking each other questions and just generally getting to know each other once again.  And at some point, the whole "crying at a movie" thing came back to haunt her.  She had been so embarrassed at Sans' laughter and gentle teasing that she had challenged him to watch Marley and Me without crying once.  She had bet five dollars that he couldn't do it.  The skeleton had smirked at the time.

 

"easiest five bucks i'll ever make, sweetheart."

 

"You say that now, but you'll be eating those words.  Just be thankful I'm not showing you Titanic, 50 First Dates or P.S. I Love You."

 

And that was how they got to this point.  (Y/n) smiled as she made the two mugs of hot chocolate.  She couldn't really remember ever being this...content.  She was interrupted from her thoughts by two bony arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her into a hug as Sans buried his skull in her hair, purring affectionately.  She giggled, reaching up a hand to scratch at the side of his skull slightly resulting in the purring getting louder.  She loved how he purred like a cat; it was adorable.

 

She whined a little when he started to pull away and he kissed her head apologetically.  He didn't want to, but someone had to get the snacks together while she took the drinks into the other room.  He couldn't have his mate hurting herself because she tried to balance too many things at once.  Sans was looking through the cupboards, pulling out a packet of microwave popcorn and countless other bags of candy (how was this girl still so tiny?) when he heard the sound of a can of whipped cream being shaken and the contents being squirted out.  Was (y/n) putting cream on top of the hot chocolate again?  Oh, how he loved when she did that.  Maybe she'll put those cute little marshmallows on top and drizzle some mustard on top of his for him.  It was an odd combination but it worked!

 

Grinning excitedly, Sans turned to his mate with the armful of treats.  He stared at her, grin spreading and becoming more wolfish by the second.  She hadn't noticed him watching and so probably thought he was still busy getting snacks.  And had proceeded to squirt the cream into her mouth straight from the can.

 

She finally noticed the silence and turned her head slightly to see Sans watching her, smirking wickedly and raising a brow bone, mouth still open and full.  Sans didn't even get a chance to say anything before she furrowed her brows and swallowed.

 

"Don't judge me!  You drink mustard!"

 

That was when he started laughing.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He was still chuckling to himself as he watched (y/n) play Five Nights At Freddy's.  It didn't help that every jump-scare had her shrieking in terror.  She pouted.  She'd been doing so well, had managed to get to night four and had almost made it through the night.  And then she got killed by Bonny.  She crossed her arms and grumbled.  Sans poked one of her cheeks.  She turned to stare at him as he poked her again.  He was grinning widely.

 

"heh, ya so cute when you're pouting sweetheart."

 

She huffed.  Well that had not gone at all well.

 

"Alright I officially give up.  So, you ready to start this whole 'getting to know each other' thing?" she asked as she raised her mug to her lips, gulping down the hot drink.

 

Sans nodded and hummed thoughtfully.  There were so many things he wanted to ask her, but where to start?

 

"you start." he started to take a sip of his drink.

 

"Hehe, okay.  Um...what's your favourite colour?"

 

He nearly spit out the hot chocolate in his attempt to stop from laughing.  All of the questions she could ask, and she starts with that?  She really wasn't kidding when she said they would have to know the basics before the more complicated shit.

 

"hehehehe....ah shit...ya know, i haven't really thought about what my favourite colour is.  it's not red, even though that's the colour of my magic.  see too much of the stuff, gettin' sick of it.  although, if you were to wear red i wouldn't be completely against it."

 

She giggled at this.  Sans grinned before he continued.

 

"i would say blue, but it's not my favourite colour anymore.  it used to be.  in the other timeline.  before i became like this.  blue just kinda depresses me now, y'know?  reminds me of what i used to have..."

 

(Y/n)'s expression became forlorn as she listened.

 

"if i really had to choose a single colour though, i'd say green." he nodded his head, reassuring himself as much as her.  Yes, that seemed about right.

 

(Y/n) tilted her head to the side in that cute and adorable way that seemed to make his non-existent heart melt and Sans' gaze softened as he looked at her.

 

"Why is green your favourite colour?" she asked.  

 

He'd been waiting for her to ask that.  The skeleton cupped her face gently, staring into her eyes before leaning in and kissing her tenderly as she melted into his embrace.  Sans used his magic to summon his tongue, licking her lips a little and causing her to gasp quietly.  He wasted no time and soon his tongue was fighting for dominance with (y/n)'s.  He caressed and sucked on her tongue, even nibbling a little which startled a small moan out of his mate.  He didn't know which was better; the taste or the little sounds that (y/n) had started to make.  His thumbs rubbed soft circles in her cheekbones, one hand trailing down to support the back of her neck and massage her shoulder slightly.  His other hand threaded his phalanges into her hair, combing through the silken locks as he pulled back.  He wanted to go further.  But Sans knew that she wasn't ready yet.  He promised her that they would go at her pace, and he would wait for as long as she needed.  He nuzzled her affectionately as he stared into her eyes, which had only just started to open again.  A beautiful pink blush rose to her cheeks and travelled to the tips of her ears as she nuzzled back, dazed.  Sans leaned in and whispered into her ear, voice a husky growl.

 

"green is the colour of your soul, sweetheart."

 

Sans felt way too satisfied with the shiver that ripped right through (y/n) and turned her into a stuttering mess.

 

"I-I....like purple!" she blurted out, face still bright red.  He blinked at her before grinning, eventually bursting out into loud laughter.

 

He hadn't been expecting her to say that but he put it down to her being so flustered.  She started giggling softly along with him, the giggles slowly getting louder as he continued to laugh.  The romantic moment was gone.  But neither of them could find it in themselves to really care.  This was nice.  They didn't have to worry about any awkwardness because they'd pretty much got all of the awkward stuff out of the way already.

 

Okay.  Favourite colours were out of the way.

 

"what do you like to do when i'm not around?  besides watching netflix and playing video games."

 

"Hmm...well I like baking.  Mostly cupcakes.  In fact, I offered one to Muffet a little while ago, and she actually liked it!  She asked me to work at the bakery part-time and bake things that'll help attract more human customers.  She thinks that having me around will kinda set their minds at ease, especially if I'm baking cakes which don't have spiders in." she laughed.

 

Sans' face lit up.  This was perfect for her.  She'd look so cute in a little uniform, selling cookies and other kinds of treats.  Aww shit.  Now he had that image in his head.  He really hoped Muffet gave her a super cute maid uniform.  Or at least something similar.  He would definitely visit her every day she was in.  She continued.

 

"I volunteer at the library too," she smiled.

 

He quirked a brow bone curiously.  Now THAT he could imagine.

 

"so, ya just check people's books out?  doesn't sound too hard." he smirked.

 

"I don't just do that, you dork!" she laughed. "I tidy the books away in the right aisles, and help out with Story and Rhyme!"

 

"okay, what in asgore's name is 'story and rhyme'?"

 

"Well little kids and their parents or guardians will come in to the library and sit down on all these comfy cushions and blankets that we put out in the kids section..."

 

"comfy cushions and blankets?  i love it already."

 

(Y/n) wacked him repeatedly with a cushion as he started laughing.  He finally raised his hands in surrender and she laughed with him when he snatched the cushion off her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back to him, nuzzling the tip of her nose.  He nodded, silently asking for her to continue.

 

"Hehe, okay so there are kids and parents on comfy cushions.  And my job is to read a story to the kids.  After the story, we sing nursery rhymes and play with musical instruments and then all the kids get to colour in a picture.  The kids love it, and the adults love it too.  It doesn't matter that we all look a little silly when we're singing and dancing because it's fun."

 

She looked a little wistful all of a sudden.

 

"There's another reason I love it too.  I'll never get the chance to read to a child of my own.  In a way, this kinda makes up for that.  *Sniff* I'm sorry.  That sounds horrible, doesn't it?" she sniffled.

 

His expression grew soft.  He could only imagine and try to understand the pain that she felt. They both lost their child when the timeline reset. But unlike (y/n), Sans would always have the capability of having a child.  But to do so, he would have to go to someone else and he refused to do that.  He would not betray his soulmate like that.  They would get through it together.  And who knows?  Maybe there were other options.  But for now Sans just shook his head in answer to her question.

 

"it's not horrible, sweetheart.  there are probably a load of women who do something similar.  and besides, just think of what you're doing!  there's no doubt that those kids at the library love you.  and i don't need to see it to know!  without you, there's no....er what did you call it again?"

 

"Hehe, Story and Rhyme."

 

"yeah!  without you, there's no 'story and rhyme'.  well, there probably would be but it wouldn't be the same!  bet it would be boring as shit"

 

She giggled again.

 

"Thanks Sans."

 

"heh, no problem sweetheart."

 

"So what do you do for fun?"

 

"easy.  go to grillby's.  which brings me to my next question.  why won't you come to grillby's with me?"

 

She winced.

 

"Um...Grillby's is the bar with the fire monster....right?" she asked, voice small.

 

Sans felt his eyelights begin to shrink in suspicion.

 

"yeah..." he said slowly.

 

There's no way that (y/n) was against monsters.  Did she have a grudge against Grillby or something?  Had he hurt her before Sans met her?  If he had then Sans wouldn't hesitate to dust him.  Friend or not, Sans wasn't going to allow anyone to harm his soulmate.  (Y/n) saw how his face had darkened and quickly tried to explain.

 

"Wait, no!  It's nothing personal!  I just...."

 

She gulped.  What she was going to tell Sans was something that she had never told anyone else.  Not even Maya and Liam.  She took a deep breath.

 

"I have pyrophobia.  A fear of fire."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> see why i was nervous now? ;_;


	28. This Girl Is On Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans decides to help Reader try and conquer her fear. What's the worst that could happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll admit that I'm not entirely happy with this chapter. So I apologise if it sucks :P

_a fear of fire...?_

 

Now that Sans thought about it, it made perfect sense.  After what happened in the last timeline, how (y/n) died....There was bound to be some kind of after effect.

 

"how long have you had it?" he asked quietly.

 

"Since I was a kid."

 

This caused Sans to look up in confusion.  Since she was a kid?  There was no way she could have known about the timelines back then.  Monsters were still Underground and she never showed any sign of knowing about him in a past timeline.  She hadn't shown any sign of recognising him when they first met.  Why should she?  He hadn't known her.

 

"did you have a bad experience with fire when you were a kid or something?"

 

It was the only explanation.  The only thing he could think of.  But his confusion only grew when she shook her head, biting her lip nervously.

 

"I used to get these....nightmares when I was little.  They were terrifying, but it always showed the same thing." she started.

 

(Y/n) breathed deeply, remembering the nightmares.  Sans took her hands in his.  He could feel her trembling and so stroked them softly with his thumbs, keeping her grounded and giving her the courage to continue.  She smiled gratefully at him as he gave her hands a gentle squeeze, nodding to let her know that he was there for her.

 

"I would be in this house.  I'd never seen it before, but it was really familiar at the same time.  There was smoke everywhere, I knew it was on fire.  I....I could feel the smoke creeping into my lungs, making it hard to breathe.  I knew I had to get out!  But...."

 

"....but....?"

 

"There was something important to me in the house.  On the other side of the room I was in.  I just had to get to it, and then I could get out and everything would be fine!  That was what I kept telling myself.  So, I would try to get to the other side of the room.  But before I would..."

 

She trembled more and let out a sob.  Sans quickly pulled her into his arms, shushing her as he rocked her gently.  Reassuring her that everything was okay despite the growing uneasy feeling in his non-existent gut.   _princess had been sleeping on the other side of the room..._

 

"I - the floor would always collapse.  Right from under me, and I would fall into the fire.  And...and I could feel it.  I could always feel how much it hurt!  It hurt so much, Sans!"

 

Sans' eyelights vanished.

 

_She wasn't thinking clearly because of the smoke.  She panicked and ran across the bedroom to try and reach her baby._

 

_She didn't make it._

 

_Sans watched in horror as the floor beneath his mate fell through and she fell.  Right into the heart of the fire..._

 

Sans could still remember the dream.  Her screams of pain from the terrible fate that she met.  He still had nightmares of that night, which would result in him calling (y/n) in the middle of the night.  Just to hear her voice.  Just to reassure himself that she was still okay.  He had only had that nightmare since Halloween.  But (y/n)....she'd been having that same nightmare since she was a child.  What made it worse was that it wasn't really a nightmare.  It was more of a repressed memory.

 

But how was that even possible?  Was this what she meant when she said she had "deja vu" moments?  He felt sick.

 

"Do you have any phobias?" a small voice cut into his thoughts.

 

Sans felt himself focus back on his sweetheart.  He tried to give her a smile, trying to tell her that he was okay.  She didn't seem to believe him if her look of concern was anything to go by.

 

"um.  i suppose.  i er, well i'm used to seeing a lotta dust.  that shit don't bother me.  i've seen plenty of monsters dusted over the years.  hell i've had to dust monsters myself in order to survive!  that was the way of the underground.  kill or be killed.  but..."

 

"But?" she prompted softly.

 

"i don't like sharp objects.  sharpened bones don't bother me, those are something only me and paps can do so i don't really have anything to worry about.  but sharp objects make me really uneasy.  especially knives.  i hate knives.  especially when frisk has to use one when cooking with papyrus or toriel.  i kinda make sure that they know i'm watching their every move...just to be safe, you know?  can never be too careful, hehe...."

 

"It unsettles you because of the resets.  Because of the genocides they would commit when possessed."

 

Sans nodded.  There was a silence between them for a while.  Both taking in the information that the other shared.  It was almost awkward.  Just talking about it was putting him on edge.  He needed a drink.

 

"sweetheart, would you ever consider coming to grillby's with me?"

 

Her eyes widened and her skin paled in such a short amount of time that Sans was starting to wonder if she would faint.  She looked like a deer in headlights.  She gulped.

 

"Sans...I er.  I really don't think that's a good idea..." she squeaked.

 

Although disappointed, Sans could understand why she was so frightened and nervous.  But, he reasoned, there's a chance that she may not be scared of Grillby.  Grillby was purple!  Not exactly the colour of fire that humans were accustomed to.  Not to mention he had excellent control over his fire magic.  If Sans introduced them, then there's no way that he would hurt her!  Sans wouldn't let him.  He could keep his mate safe!   **He would dust the fire elemental if he even thought about starting anything.**

 

Sans took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.  Baby steps.  They could take baby steps.  Just like they were taking it slow with their relationship, they could take it slow with this.

 

Grillby was his best friend Underground, he wasn't going to deny that.  And he wasn't going to just cut him out of his life because (y/n) was afraid of fire.  Now that he thought about it, would (y/n) even be able to sit beside a campfire?  How would she cope if she was in a building and an actual fire broke out?  Would she freeze in fear?  Would she panic like in the last timeline, and unintentionally run right into the heart of the flames?

 

The more that Sans thought about it, the more terrified he became.  He knew that it was wishful thinking to say that he would always be there to save her.  With his luck, something might happen while he's not there.  (Y/n) would be completely helpless due to her fear.  Unless he - no, they did something about it.

 

He could help.  Sans could help her try and get over her pyrophobia.  They could start small and work their way up.  Then he could introduce her to Grillby.  It would be like killing two birds with one stone.  He would help (y/n) conquer her fear, and he would introduce her to one of his closest friends.  It was a win-win situation!

 

 

* * *

 

 

If only it was that easy.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Sans explained his plan to (y/n).  He wanted to help as much as he could.  But he would only do so if (y/n) let him help.  He would only help if she wanted the help.  He didn't want to do anything that she didn't want to do.

 

When he explained his reasoning to her, (y/n) had paused.  She had to admit that he was right.  She hadn't even been camping for fear of being near a campfire.  She wouldn't think about how controlled it would be.  All she would think was that it was fire and she wanted to stay away from it.

 

So she had reluctantly agreed to his plan.  Sans couldn't even deny how proud he was of her for deciding to try and conquer her fear.  She was being so brave and he told her as much.  He knew how hard this must be for her, and he knew how difficult this would be.

 

He just didn't count on it being....almost impossible.

 

It started well.  Later that week the skeleton had entered (y/n)'s home with the same confidence that he had in the Underground.  If he was going to help her get over her fear, he wanted her to be as comfortable as possible.  Which was why he had proceeded to confiscate as many pillows and blankets in the house and create the best pillow fort in front of the TV that (y/n) had ever seen. 

 

"get your pretty ass in the fort sweetheart.  we're gonna be havin' a movie day.  wait!  hang on a sec - " he proceeded to grumble as he fluffed up some pillows. 

 

He may not have been in heat but that didn't mean he was going to be lazy in making the pillow fort comfortable.  Especially if it was for his sweetheart.  Once satisfied, he grinned and settled down, patting the space in front of him to let her know that she could come in.  Once (y/n) got comfortable he wrapped his arms around her, covering them both with the softest blanket ever.

 

Sans thought he follow his plan and start small.  He started by having them both watch movies and documentaries that involved fire, explosions and even volcanoes erupting.  That in itself took a while.  Besides (y/n) squeezing his hand and wincing slightly whenever there was a particularly loud explosion, there wasn't much of a reaction.  Sans couldn't tell whether it was because it was just on the TV or because half the stuff they were watching was CGI and complete fiction.

 

But they didn't seem to really be getting anywhere, didn't seem to cause her any real distress.  So he took that as a good sign and decided to go to the next level.

 

In hindsight he probably should have warned (y/n) of what he was about to do.  He wasn't expecting anything more than maybe his soulmate wincing, perhaps being a little uncomfortable.

 

Sans was not prepared for the reaction he climbed out of the fort while ensuring she was still comfortable and relaxed and, very deliberately, lit a match.

 

Her gaze zeroed in on the tiny flame as her skin paled.  Her palms grew sweaty, heart racing so fast that even Sans could hear it.  (Y/n) started shaking violently and clutched at her chest as she desperately tried to soothe the stabbing pain in her chest, right where her soul was.  The skeleton in front of her quickly extinguished the flame once he heard his mate start to choke on the very air she was desperately trying to breathe.

 

"sweetheart?!  sweetheart!  it's alright!  i'm here, you're okay!"

 

She didn't see or hear him at all.  All (y/n) saw was the flames of her nightmare consuming her, inflicting so much pain.  She could smell the smoke that choked her and could see the crackling flames that sent sparks into her eyes, blinding her as she started to shriek in terror.

 

He continued trying to soothe her as she sobbed, and he gently pulled her into his arms.  He rubbed soothing circles between her shoulder blades and whispered encouragement, telling her to breathe and talking her through her panic attack.

 

Sans sighed as he looked down at the still sobbing girl in his arms.  This was going to be harder than he thought.  If she reacted like this over a tiny flame...

 

_how will she react if she gets the courage to meet grillby?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to do research to try and get things right in this chapter and I'm still not happy with it >_<
> 
> sorry if i got some things wrong. never written a panic attack before TTATT


	29. Facing Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to introduce Grillby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who is reading this. Cookie now has 10225 hits! I never thought so many people would like this! So thank you all so much!
> 
> I'd like to thank melodyrider, who came up with the different ideas to help Reader ^^ 
> 
> It really helped a lot when writing this.
> 
> Have a Happy Easter everyone! <3

Sans had never been a very patient monster Underground.  And he still wasn't very patient.  In fact what little patience he had was currently being used to help him keep his calm while helping his soulmate conquer her fear.

 

Now if he had naturally been very patient, then he would have been able to do this with no problem whatsoever.  But Sans would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't starting to get more than a little frustrated at the lack of progress.

 

He was trying to be understanding.  He was trying to be patient.  He was trying!

 

But she was making it so hard.

 

The skeleton had tried a couple of times to try and get (y/n) to look at a flame.  But she was more aware, and had learnt from the last time.  Any time he even so much as went to pick up the matches, she would shriek and scream and kick away from him despite his reassurances.  This would continue until he put the matches away and then he would have to spend over an hour reassuring her that nothing was going to happen, that she was okay and that there was no fire.

 

It was like taking one step forward and two steps back.  Except all they seemed to be doing was taking more and more steps back.

 

And Sans was starting to run out of patience.

 

Which made him feel guilty.  Especially when she apologised over and over.  Sans couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with him.  This was his soulmate for fuck's sake!  He should be supportive and nothing but patient with her for as long as she needed!  It should be no problem!  So why the hell was he having such a hard time?  Why was he finding it more and more difficult not to yell at her each time (y/n) panicked?

 

He didn't understand it.  It was a legitimate fear!  She had a very good reason to be terrified of fire!

 

So why was he so mad that she wasn't getting better?

 

 

* * *

 

 

"i just don't know what ta do grillbz."

 

The purple fire elemental had listened carefully to Sans' problem, polishing a shot glass so it looked like he was busy to keep anyone from interrupting the two while they had their much needed heart to heart.  The second that Sans had walked into the bar, Grillby knew that he needed to vent about something.  And even though he had a quick temper, he wasn't an asshole.  Well not to the people who mattered to him anyway.  Sans was one of the few who was on his good side and Grillby couldn't help but admit that he was curious.  Mostly because Sans hadn't been to the bar to get himself drunk in months.  The few times that he'd seen the skeleton, he'd been completely loved up and Grillby couldn't help but wonder who had made him this way.

 

He was a little...surprised when he heard it was a human.  Well that was putting it gently.  He'd dropped a few glasses he was carrying when he heard.  Mostly because Sans had always hated humans, except for Frisk.  So no one expected the skeleton to fall in love with a human.  And when Sans walked into the bar looking exhausted, irritable and close to literally ripping some poor soul's head off, the fire elemental had a feeling it was something to do with Sans' mate.  He'd been expecting them to have had a fight or something along those lines.

 

He wasn't expecting Sans' mate to be terrified of fire.  It was almost funny.  And yet he couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor girl.

 

"Sans." his voice crackled.

 

The skeleton looked up from having face-planted the bar top, squirting some mustard into his mouth as he did so.

 

"What your mate went through in that timeline was very traumatic.  The thing that she is afraid of literally killed her!  Did you really think that all it would take was a few movies, looking at a match and a couple of weeks for her to get over a phobia that she has had for her whole life?"

 

Sans winced and actually had the decency to look somewhat ashamed.  He wasn't an expert in stuff like this!  He didn't know it would take this long!  And he sure as hell didn't think it would be this....

 

He stopped himself from finishing that thought.  His sweetheart wasn't annoying.  She was scared.  She didn't mean for it to be this difficult...

 

He groaned.  He felt like such an ass.  Stars what was he going to do?  He'd actually yelled at her when he'd left!  He'd accused her of being difficult on purpose!  Said that she wasn't even trying, was refusing to try and get better!  She had been crying when he left.  She'd begged him not to leave her alone...

 

**And he'd left anyway.**

 

God he really had fucked up.

 

Grillby shook his head.  Even after all this time it appeared that Sans was still pretty clueless when it came to women.  Well, he was clueless when it came to being more sensitive to his mate's feelings.  Grillby hadn't had this problem with his wife Elena, she'd been too much of a hot head (heh) and was very much an open book.  And this was the first long term relationship that Sans had been in.  Only the skeleton could've ended up with a sensitive soulmate who required the patience of a saint.  And Sans was definitely no saint.

 

But he couldn't help but feel sorry for his friend as well.  He could tell it was important to Sans for his soulmate to meet Grillby, and he couldn't help but want to meet the human too.  She sounded quite charming.  And with Sans being next to clueless the fire elemental was certain that he was going to have to step in.

 

"Sans"

 

Said skeleton looked up from face-planting the bar again.  He looked utterly miserable and Grillby couldn't help but smirk, chuckling at his friend's expense.

 

"She is scared of fire, yes?"

 

Sans nodded and arched a brow bone.  Where was he going with this?

 

"Did you ever think that _lighting a match_ might've been too much too soon?"

 

Grillby almost laughed at the way the skeleton growled and gripped his skull.  Continuously banging his skull on the top of the bar.

 

"of course i thought it was too much!  i gathered that the first time she freaked!  but there's literally no possible way for me to actually get her to take smaller steps!  that literally was the smallest step!"

 

Grillby stopped polishing his glass and set it down, staring straight into Sans' eyelights.

 

"Except it wasn't."

 

...

 

"what?"

 

Grillby sighed.

 

"There are smaller steps you could've taken.  That you could still take.  You could help her to work her way up to looking at the match.  And then bigger flames that are contained, though I suggest fire magic.  Be sure to let her know that with magic, even fire magic, it's all about intent.  The flames won't hurt her if the one using the magic doesn't wish it."

 

And this was the moment that Sans realised that he was really stupid.  Of course he should've started with fire magic.  He should've sat (y/n) down and explained how magic worked.  He could've asked Toriel to help with the fire part.  The goat monster would've been more than happy to help!  He was literally kicking himself at this point.

 

"so what smaller steps should i have taken?"

 

Grillby smiled.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was a beautiful day.

 

And normally Grillby's would be open for business, catering to monsters and humans alike during the lunch time rush hour.  Instead it was closed.  The curtains drawn to stop anyone from spying.

 

Today was a big day.  Because today was the day that Sans was going to introduce (y/n) to Grillby for the first time.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_After getting some inspiration from his old friend, Sans had been working harder than ever to help his mate overcome her fear of fire.  When he'd first returned to her home (having picked up strawberry shortcake and hot chocolate from Muffet's as a peace offering) his soul had almost broken in two to see his soulmate curled up in the pillow fort, still sobbing.  He'd felt awful.  Especially when she ran at him and clung to him like a koala and begged him not to leave her again, nearly hyperventilating with how hysterical she was becoming.  Sans had quickly had to calm her down, talking quietly, saying how much of an idiot he was and how she was doing so well.  That this was all his fault and he couldn't apologise enough for not being patient._

 

_She'd scowled, tears still leaking from her eyes._

 

_"_ _You asshole!"  she smacked him in the face.  It didn't hurt.  She didn't really put any weight behind it.  But he knew he deserved it._

 

_(Y/n) then proceeded to eat the whole cake and hot chocolate (though it looked more like she was practically inhaling it) and had ignored him for the rest of the day._

 

_It was only after grovelling at her feet and begging her not to leave (she wasn't leaving him.  She was going to the bathroom) that she shoved him off angrily._

 

_"If you still really want to help me then just leave me alone for a while!  We can try again next week."_

 

_He'd just nodded silently.  He didn't want to leave her alone but what more could he do?  He'd agreed to respect her boundaries.  And even though his instincts were screaming at him to hide her away in the pillow fort and just cuddle and snuggle her until she couldn't help but smile, the rational part of him told him to take a step back for a few days and respect her wishes.  Like she said, they could try again next week.  And he would be so much better._

 

_So he took the much needed advice that Grillby had given him._

 

_The next week when he showed up to (y/n)'s house, Sans said that he wanted to try a different approach.  Although she was skeptical, she couldn't deny him the chance to try when he looked at her with such a pleading look in his eyelights._

 

_It was quite amusing to see the skeleton grinning widely and almost shaking with giddiness._

 

_She didn't bother trying to tell him not to make the pillow fort.  He was already half done by the time she had closed the door.  How?  Most likely magic.  Hell, he'd used it to construct the base.  But she knew he liked putting everything else together by hand, and this way he wasn't causing any trouble.  So (y/n) left him to it while she went and made some microwave popcorn and wondered what documentary on volcanic eruptions she would be watching that day._

 

_She was just pulling out a bowl when bony arms snaked around her waist and hoisted her up onto an equally bony shoulder, causing her to emit a squeak as Sans carried her into the other room.  He set her down outside the pillow fort and she rolled her eyes, sighing before crawling in and getting comfy.  Like all the other times it didn't take that long for Sans to join her.  And then things started getting different._

 

_"do ya trust me?"_

 

_(Y/n) had raised an eyebrow at that but had nodded.  He pulled out a blindfold and she started to grow confused.  How could she watch the movies if she was blindfolded?  And how would she look at the match?  Although she had to admit, a small part of her was hugely relieved that she wouldn't be able to look at it while blindfolded.  Sans tied the blindfold around (y/n)'s eyes, and after checking to make sure that it wasn't too loose or too tight, he dug around in a bag he'd brought with him and pulled out a bunch of sticks._

 

_"okay, so i've been talkin' with grillby, and he said i've been going about this all wrong.  he said i should focus on one sense at a time and gave me a few ideas to work with.  so i won't be lighting a match.  at least not for a while.  for now, we're gonna focus on your hearing."_

 

_"What do you mean?"_

 

_"i'm gonna do something that will make the same noise as fire."_

 

_"And this will work?"_

 

_"_ _hopefully."_

 

_For the rest of the week, Sans snapped the twigs right next to her ear.  He stopped and talked her through her panic attacks when it would get too much, holding and soothing her as he whispered encouragement and told her how well she was doing.  When she had calmed down, he asked if she wanted to take a break.  But (y/n) refused.  Instead she insisted that they carry on.  The noise on its own wasn't so bad now that she was getting used to it...._

 

_Two weeks later they moved on from snapping twigs.  Sans presented her with a plate of smoked salmon (courtesy of Grillby).  She'd gaped at him, absolutely horrified._

 

_"I can't eat this!"_

 

_"why not?!"_

 

_"Because it'll be like I'm eating Undyne!" she whined.  He rolled his eyes._

 

_"_ _no it's not sweetheart.  this is salmon.  undyne would probably taste more like tuna.  now eat it."_

 

_She still protested.  So in the end Sans brought back a burger that had been practically charred by Grillby himself.  She'd choked over how burnt it was, bringing tears to her eyes.  But she had eaten it.  And the skeleton proceeded to encourage her to eat a charred burger or the smoked salmon once a day, even sneaking in extras like burnt popcorn._

 

_Next was her sense of smell.  (Y/n) would wear the blindfold while Sans lit a match and blew it out so she would smell the smoke.  When he ran out of matches he used incense sticks and cigarettes.  She reacted a little more strongly to these, the panic attacks lasting longer as she suffered flashbacks of the nightmare and the night she died in the previous timeline.  It took at least four weeks for her to stop shaking so much and control her breathing when she smelled the smoke._

 

_Gradually, week by week, (y/n) got better at coping with smaller flames.  Toriel was a big help.  The goat monster had started by just generating heat at first.  It was only after giving his sweetheart a warning that a tiny flame was brought into existence.  At first she showed the same signs as she did with the match.  Then Toriel explained that fire magic was very different to the kind of fire that humans were used to._

 

_Intent is a huge part of using magic and this was explained to (y/n).  No matter what appearance magic came in, if the user didn't intend to harm anyone then the magic would most definitely not hurt anyone.  Even fire magic and the same could be said for Grillby and his magic.  The most that would happen is experiencing an incredible feeling of warmth._

 

_When Toriel summoned the tiny flame again, she clutched at Sans' hand desperately and shook like a leaf.  He could see her concentrating on her breathing, trying to stay calm as she stared at it.  And then, she tentatively raised her other hand while sending a questioning glance towards the former queen.  She just smiled and nodded encouragingly.  And Sans watched with widened sockets as (y/n) poked the flame._

 

_She had winced instinctively and had shut her eyes tightly as she pulled her hand back.  But then she opened her eyes slowly, looking at the flame again and blinking owlishly.  She poked the flame again.  And again.  Still expecting to feel some kind of pain.  All she felt was a comforting warmth beginning to spread throughout her hand whenever she poked the tiny flame.  This was what fire magic was like?  She began to giggle slightly._

 

_Sans couldn't believe it.  This was a major breakthrough.  (Y/n) still had quite a way to go, there was no doubt about that.  But they were finally getting somewhere._

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sans turned to (y/n).  He gripped her small hands gently and rubbed soft circles over her skin, soothing and helping to keep her breathing steady.

 

"are ya sure you're ready for this sweetheart?"

 

She'd been staring at the neon sign above the bar, looking a little dazed.  Stars he hoped she didn't have a seizure when he finally introduced her to Grillby.  He didn't think Grillby would know what to do, and if he started freaking out then that would make HIM start to panic and -

 

He's getting carried away again.

 

It'll be fine.

 

She had that same look that she had when she was fighting long-assed sword guy.  So it'll be fine.

 

"Yeah.  I think I'll be okay...."

 

Sans smiled at her, giving her a quick kiss on the lips as he hugged her to him before leading her into the bar.

 

"you're so brave.  just remember sweetheart, i'm gonna be right here with ya the whole time.  grillby knows about your fear and he understands completely.  he won't take offence if you're not ready or if you can't handle it yet.  you say the word, and we'll be gone in a heartbeat.  'k?"

 

She nodded as they sat down at a booth and anxiously looked around, obviously looking for the fire elemental.  She'd heard various things about the restaurant itself but (y/n) wasn't expecting it to be quite so....homey.  With all the booths, the bar displaying all the alcohol, the menu with all the different dishes and drinks and the jukebox playing relaxing yet cheery jazz music, she couldn't help but start to relax.  She was starting to wish she'd asked for help with her fear sooner.  They would've been able to come here sooner.

 

Sans had left her sitting at the booth and walked up to the bar where a single cocktail glass was resting.  He picked it up and brought it to the table, winking at (y/n) when she turned her questioning gaze to him.

 

"on the house.  grillby wanted to help you get over your fear.  that and he wanted to make a drink for you.  so this is a cocktail that grillby made especially for you.  based on what i told him about you.  he also said it'll help ya relax a bit...." he trailed off somewhat awkwardly, scratching the back of his skull.

 

(Y/n) couldn't help but feel touched.  And guilty.  She was terrified of this monster before she had even seen or met him, and he wanted to help and had made her a drink.  She felt awful.  Sans seemed to guess what she was thinking.

 

"hey, don't feel bad.  this isn't your fault and grillbz knows that.  that's why he's staying in the back right now.  he doesn't want to come out and freak ya out or anything.  he wants ya to feel relaxed when ya meet him.  he won't come out til yer ready.  he's not that much of an ass."

 

She bit her lip.  Trying to work up the courage.  She turned her gaze back to the drink.  It was a chocolate brown colour, little flecks of gold scattered through the liquid.  Golden powder rimmed the edge of the glass.  There was a gold party sparkler and a cake pop stick, three strawberries skewered in the middle which had been dipped in white chocolate, the top of the stick held an emerald green candy heart.  The whole thing was topped with little magical sparkles that seemed to seep up from the glass itself.  It was beautiful.  And looked absolutely delicious.

 

(Y/n) wasted no time.  Grinning like a kid at Christmas she pulled the sparkler and cake pop stick out of the drink and placed them gently on the table (not before popping one of the strawberries in her mouth).  Sans quietly took his phone out, starting to take pictures while he grinned excitedly.  She was too cute.

 

And then she took a big gulp.

 

The reaction was almost immediate.

 

A look of awe crossed her face as she smiled widely, giggling slightly.  Sans just snickered and snapped another photo.  The cocktail itself tasted like chocolate and (y/n) could definitely tell there was Baileys in it.  As for the little golden sparkles in the liquid, they turned out to be orange flavoured pop rocks.  The tiny candies popped and fizzled in her mouth, causing her to giggle more.  She took another sip and noticed that the powder was actually powdered honeycomb.

 

There were so many flavours, that it probably shouldn't work.  And yet it did.  It was like Grillby knew her personally.  From what Sans must've told him, the fire elemental obviously figured she was a sweet tooth and not a regular drinker.  If things worked out well between the two, then she would definitely want to come back for another drink because she was feeling fantastic!

 

"whoa, he wasn't kidding," Sans laughed.  She just grinned at him and stuck out her tongue.

 

"I think I may be ready now."

 

Sans smiled and leaned in to kiss her head, nuzzling her and purring, which helped to keep her calm.  He pulled the blindfold out of his pocket (she wasn't quite ready to see larger flames), lifting it towards her as if asking for permission.  He only went to tie it around her eyes when she nodded while she let out a shaky breath.  When he was certain that her vision was covered he faced towards the bar, shouting to the monster that was hiding out of sight in the back room.

 

"okay grillbz!  ya can come out now!"

 

Grillby slowly poked his head out from the fire exit as he looked towards the pair.  His flames began to cast a lavender glow around the room and Sans could swear that the bartender looked a little nervous.  He waved the other monster over to sit with them and Grillby watched as (y/n)'s head turned in his direction, listening to his footsteps and the quiet crackles that his flames made as he sat down opposite the pair.

 

There was a small silence that was only broken by the little crackles.

 

"It's nice to finally meet you, my dear.  Sans has told me much about you."

 

(Y/n) smiled at him.  Grillby was so nice!  She reached out slowly with one of her hands.  The fire elemental practically beamed and gently took her hand in both of his.

 

"It's nice to meet you too Grillby.  I'm sorry I haven't been sooner. I promise I'll come more often.  And when I feel ready to finally see you, I'd like you to have a drink with us."

 

He allowed the warmth from his fire magic to seep into her hand, and looked at the girl in front of him fondly.  She reminded him of Fuku.

 

"You have no idea how lucky you are Sans.  You were right, she really is a sweetheart."

 

Sans swelled with pride as he wrapped his arm around her, pressing a kiss to her temple and causing her to blush.  He was so proud of her.  (Y/n) still had a way to go, and there was a very high chance that she may never truly be okay around fire.  But that didn't matter.  Because for now, this was enough.

 

Things were going to be okay.

 

 

* * *

 

 

~~_**Except they weren't.** _ ~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (i swear this chapter was trying to kill me while writing this)


	30. Did You Get A Haircut?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, not too happy with this chapter. I know it's not very long and it sucks compared to some of the other chapters. But I wanted to upload something. My laptop is literally on its last legs, it's getting harder and harder for it to function and I don't know when I'll be able to get a new one. 
> 
> So if I don't upload anything in a while, it's not because I've abandoned any of the fics I'm working on. It'll be because my laptop is finally dead and I'm still trying to sort out a new one. Getting money is hard TTATT
> 
> Hope you like it anyway
> 
> EDIT: hehe I just realised I have 666 kudos. Pretty spoopy

Sans sat in Muffet's bakery waiting for (y/n) to arrive.  She was fifteen minutes late.  She hated being late and it was honestly making him worry.  He'd already left three voicemails on her phone.  He looked towards Muffet once again but she just shrugged, her own eyes reflecting the concern that he felt.

 

He didn't have to worry for much longer.  The door opened, causing the little bell to chime in a cheery manner.  The person rushing through the door was none other than (y/n), eyes darting about before coming to rest on Sans.  She looked relieved and slightly disheveled.

 

"I was worried you might've left.  I'm so sorry Sans!  I overslept and had to hurry to an appointment and then it ended up taking longer than I thought, and I tried to call but my phone was completely dead and - " she rushed to say as she sat down.

 

Sans scowled, pretending to be angry as she continued to spout out excuses.  He couldn't pretend for long though.  He was just so relieved that she was okay.  He just chuckled.

 

"don't worry about it, sweetheart.  just remember to charge yer phone next time, yeah?"

 

He raised a brow bone when she blushed at the nickname.  He remembered her blushing a lot when he first started calling her that.  She was probably just embarrassed.

 

"sooo," he drawled. "why were ya late?"

 

(Y/n) smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

 

"Dentist.  Had to get my teeth cleaned." she grinned and rolled her eyes, as if to say 'What a pain'.

 

Sans nodded.  Fair enough.  Muffet came over then, holding a little notepad and pen as she asked what the two would be having.  Sans asked for his usual black coffee while (y/n) looked over the menu.  Huh.  She didn't usually need the menu.  (Y/n) winced.

 

"Um...I'll just have some tea.  No sugar, please."

 

She looked up from the menu to find both Muffet and Sans staring at her, blinking owlishly.  Muffet began to giggle.

 

"Ahuhu, oh dearie.  That was a good joke!  I'll bring your usual hot chocolate over and you can spend a little more time deciding which cake you'd like."

 

(Y/n) quickly shook her head, much to their confusion.

 

"Oh, no thank you.  Just the tea is fine.  No cake either.  Maybe another time Muffet?"

 

The skeleton and spider monster looked at each other before turning back to the young woman in front of them.  She always wanted cake!  Or at least a hot chocolate!  And the only other time she had requested tea was when she was slightly hungover months ago.  She had asked for four teaspoons of sugar to be put in the tea.  Four!  Muffet narrowed her eyes and frowned.  Something wasn't right.  But she couldn't figure out what it was.

 

"are you...is everything alright sweetheart?  are you feeling okay?"

 

She nodded and smiled brightly.

 

"Perfectly fine!  It's just...my er, dentist.  He said I need to cut down on my sugar intake."

 

"i don't think he meant you had to erase it from your diet completely!  c'mon, just have a brownie or a milkshake." Sans pleaded.  It was weird seeing his sweetheart not want anything...sweet.

 

"I said I'm fine Sans!  Just let it go!" (y/n) scowled at him and he flinched, Muffet scurrying away to prepare the order.  She recognised the signs of (y/n) having a bad day and she did NOT want to be in the middle of the fight that would most likely happen between the human and the skeleton.

 

Sans scowled back at her, growling slightly as he clenched his fists.

 

"okay, i get that yer pissed that yer dentist said that yer can't have as much sugar as yer normally do.  that's like pap takin' my mustard.  i'd be fuckin' pissed as hell too.  but don't take it out on the rest of us." he growled.

 

"I'll do what I want, and I won't be told what to do by anyone!  Especially not you!" she snarled back.

 

Sans stared at her.  Why was she being such a bitch?  Things had been going so well.  The more he stared at her, the more she seemed to look different.  It could've been down to the frown etched onto her face.  No, that wasn't it.  He'd seen her frown before and she didn't look anything like this.  He didn't get the chance to figure it out properly though.  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let it out, seeming to calm down with the action.  Her features softened once again and she looked up at him apologetically.

 

"I'm sorry.  You're right.  That was uncalled for.  I'll be better.  Promise."

 

Talk about emotional whiplash.  Aww hell.  He couldn't stay mad at her now.  She looked so cute, looking up at him through her lashes and pouting.  He sighed.  Guess this was just one more thing he had to help her with.  But that didn't matter.  It probably wouldn't be for long, and she'd probably cave within the next few hours anyway.

 

There was something about her though.  Something that he couldn't put his finger on....

 

"you look different." No need to beat around the bush about it.

 

(Y/n) froze and she laughed nervously, eyes looking around the room.  Sans scratched at his skull as he stared at her, trying to figure it out.  It clicked.

 

"did ya get a haircut?"

 

She grinned and instantly relaxed again, giggling and twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

 

"I'm so glad you noticed!" she giggled.

 

The skeleton raised a brow bone.

 

"it looks the same though."

 

She just laughed again.

 

"I only got an inch trimmed off.  To get rid of all the split ends."

 

Split ends?  He had no idea what she was on about.  That was more Mettaton's department.  But if it was only an inch that had been cut off, then it would explain why she looked a little different and still the same.  He just nodded and complimented how it looked.  It did look nice.  Her face lit up as she blushed and giggled.  He snickered along with her at how she was reacting.  Maybe the dentist had given her some weird painkiller that made her moody one minute and giggly the next.  With the shit he'd seen Alphys and even Grillby cook up, he wouldn't really be surprised if humans had figured out how to do something like that.

 

He decided to just forgive and forget her yelling at him.  She'd already apologised.  And she was BOUND to be pissed off at having to cut down on her sugar intake.  His poor sweetheart.  Sans wanted to do something nice for her, they could both do something to take her mind off of sugar and her favourite treats.  And then maybe she could do something for him to make it up to him, like baking those sugar cookies again.  Yeah, he'd eaten them all.  Even the slightly burnt ones.

 

As he walked out of the cafe holding hands with his sweetheart, he tried to brainstorm ideas.  He gave up after a while because (y/n) was chattering away at him and expecting him to answer sometimes.  He didn't really know what she was talking about most of the time, it just sounded a lot like buzzing.  He just nodded or shook his head at the right times to show he'd been listening.  He'd wait until he got home before brainstorming properly.

 

Sans walked her home as he usually did, already regretting having to leave her.  He leaned in to give her a kiss as he always did.  But instead of the butterflies he would get in his non-existent stomach, his soul jolted in pain and began to cry.  He was so stunned by the odd reaction that he completely missed what she said as she said her goodbyes.

 

He simply waved at her, grin strained before he teleported straight into his room.  He fell onto his bed panting, small red beads of sweat falling from skull as he clutched at his soul.  Before long, the sharp pain dulled into an ache and then faded altogether.  Sans couldn't help but pull out his soul, just to check that it was okay.

 

It was the same as it always was.  The same little white upside down heart, with a few faint cracks that had now faded.  He checked his stats as he put his soul away, just in case.  But they were all the same.  What was that?  Sans shook his head.  Maybe something like that would happen every time the two argued.  It would make sense.

 

Anyway nothing seemed to be wrong.  So he decided to get started on thinking of things he could do with (y/n).

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

~~**_If only he knew how wrong he was..._ ** ~~


	31. Distractions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe that my laptop still isn't dead yet?! It's like it heard me talking about getting a new one and suddenly decided to work a little better :P 
> 
> Sorry for the wait. Things have been a bit tough recently...

Sans and (y/n) sat on the couch watching a movie on Netflix.  They'd decided not to go to Muffet's bakery today, so that (y/n) could avoid the temptation of sugar.  She'd been doing surprisingly well.  Sans had questioned it at some point, but she had waved it off.  All she said was that she just needed a distraction from the temptations of junk food.  And it was working.  (Y/n) was engrossed in the movie and hadn't eaten any sugar (from what he'd seen) in over a week.

 

Now this was all very well and good for (y/n).  She was perfectly happy right now.  Sans on the other hand....was bored.  Stiff.  He couldn't get into the movie that was playing.  As a result he was propping his skull up on the arm of the couch, his other arm wrapped around his mate while they cuddled.  Normally he wouldn't have any problem with this setup.  In fact he'd be so happy that he'd start purring and then (y/n) would start giggling which would make him purr louder, ultimately resulting in a vicious (yet enjoyable) cycle that would end in both of them pressing small, loving kisses to the other and nuzzling each other.....

 

Nothing like that had happened since Sans had introduced (y/n) to Grillby.

 

So here they were.  Watching some romance movie.  He'd tried to suggest a horror and had no luck.  She'd been determined to watch this romance movie.  Sans had raised an eyebrow but had shrugged it off.  Maybe this was just the one romance movie that she could tolerate, and just wanted to watch it.  Reasonable enough.  He could get through one movie.  For his soulmate.  But he just didn't count on how cliche, cheesy and boring it would be.

 

Sans rolled his eyelights at the 'oh so romantic proposal' in the movie, unable to contain his scoff.  (Y/n) turned to him then.

 

"What?"

 

He sighed.  Looks like he would have to be honest with her.  They did agree that they would have no more secrets.

 

"listen sweetheart - " he stopped as he glanced at her face.

 

She was beaming.  Again.  She'd been doing that a lot lately when he'd been calling her by her nickname...  He shook his skull.  He needed to keep on track.

 

"i thought i'd be able to watch this, but to be honest, this movie is borin' as shit."

 

She blinked.   _please don't get upset..._ he silently begged.

 

(Y/n) bit her lip slightly as she began to think.  Finally she nodded to herself and turned back to him smiling.

 

"Well how about we turn this movie off and just have a horror movie marathon then?  Would that be better?" she asked.

 

He grinned and pulled her close, nuzzling her despite the growing pain in his soul (what was up with that?  Should he go to Alphys?).  He loved how she always seemed to have a backup plan.  She always had an idea for something they could do together.

 

"that'd be great sweetheart." he kissed her briefly on the lips, ignoring the jolt in his soul.  (Y/n) smiled back at him.

 

"Great!  You pick out the first one, and I'll make some popcorn."

 

She jumped up and headed to the kitchen, Sans grabbing the remote and eagerly turning off that horrible movie.  He hoped he would never have to watch anything like that again.  He picked out the movie A Nightmare On Elm Street, a classic according to (y/n) and went to his bedroom, bringing out the softest blanket he had so they could really cuddle up and get cosy.

 

He sat back down with the blanket and waited for (y/n).  He didn't have to wait long.  She came back with a huge bowl filled with popcorn and placed it on the table, along with two mugs.  Both filled with hot chocolate and cream, one with mustard on top.  He glanced at her face and smirked at the blush spreading across her cheeks.  When she finally chanced a glance, his eyelights darted to the hot chocolate and back to her face in a silent question.  She huffed.

 

"I caved."

 

Sans started laughing, which just set her off as well.  There was his sweetheart.  He opened his arms to her and she grinned, practically sitting on his lap as he wrapped his arms and the blanket around them both to keep them warm, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek before starting the movie.  (Y/n) grinned.

 

"You'll keep me safe from all the spooks right?"

 

She held his bony hand in her own, and he responded by rubbing circles into the soft skin.

 

"heh, always sweetheart."

 

 

* * *

 

 

~~_**How can he be so blind?  He should know by now!  He shouldn't make promises he can't keep...** _ ~~


	32. Domestic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Over 11k hits. Just wow. Seriously, why do you guys like this so much?

"what's this?"

 

(Y/n) looked up, chewing her food daintily before swallowing and tilting her head in question.

 

"What do you mean?"

 

Sans gestured towards the plate before him on the dinner table.  He'd woken up this morning to the startling realisation that (y/n) wasn't in his arms, as she had been when they'd fallen asleep.  After having a brief panic attack he decided to calm down and go looking for her.  She was probably in the bathroom.

 

He didn't expect her to be in the kitchen.  Cooking.

 

She turned on hearing him enter and had smiled brightly, telling him to sit down.  And then she'd brought a plate over that was filled with bacon, fried eggs, sausages and two pieces of toast as well as a huge bottle of mustard.  He'd looked at her, barely comprehending what was happening and vaguely noticed that she was wearing a cute little apron.  Sans was pretty sure that that wasn't one of the aprons that his brother owned.  So where the hell did it materialise from?  She definitely didn't have it with her when she came over....

 

When Sans gestured again to the plate in front of him she just shrugged.

 

"It's breakfast." and she began eating again.

 

This was.....odd.  In fact this was probably the first time he had ever seen her cook anything.  Ever.  That wasn't cookies.  He vaguely recalled Maya telling him that (y/n) had managed to burn toast.  But it was perfect now.  Huh.  Maybe she'd been practising.  It would make sense if she was going to be working part time at Muffet's.  He'd be almost concerned about how his sweetheart would cope with all the sugary treats around her.  But after the first hot chocolate three weeks ago, the whole "no sugar" diet had gone straight out the window.

 

He didn't really know what to think.  Lately (y/n) had been acting so domestic.  Like a little housewife.  Almost like how she was.... **in that other timeline.** And as strange as it seemed, Sans couldn't help but actually like it.  He liked the idea of (y/n) being all domestic.  He liked the idea of going out to work (trying to convince other humans that monsters weren't all bad with Frisk) and coming home to dinner and a loving mate.  It was all he he had in that other timeline.  And stars knew that he wanted that back so so badly.  If it was up to him, he would propose right away and kick-start the whole thing.  But it was too soon.  Even if they had known each other in the other timeline, in this one they had known each other less than a year.

 

He had agreed to take things slow for her sake.  Sans would gladly wait forever if he had to, so long as he got to spend time with her.

 

The skeleton wasn't about to complain about a wonderful looking breakfast being cooked for him.  If it tasted as good as it looked then it was just a bonus!  Like Gyftmas coming early!  So he didn't hesitate to dig in, immediately groaning from how delicious it was.  Stars, this was bordering on sinful from how good it tasted.  He practically inhaled the whole thing and was just starting on drinking the mustard.  But as he lifted the bottle to his mouth, he couldn't help but stop as he noticed something.  He put the bottle back down.

 

"sweetheart?"

 

(Y/n) looked up from her plate again, smiling sweetly.

 

"Yeah Sans?"

 

He raised a brow bone as he contemplated how to word his query before deciding to just come out with it.

 

"why are ya eatin' with yer fork in yer left hand?"

 

She looked confused for a moment.  So he continued.

 

"whenever you eat with a knife and fork, you usually have the fork in yer right hand.  not your left."

 

She seemed to realise what he was talking about then.

 

"Oh, erm.  It seems silly, but Liam keeps making fun of me for it, because the "official way to eat properly is to have the fork in the left hand" apparently.  Anyway I just thought I'd try it..."

 

Sans couldn't help laughing, wiping red tears away from his eyesockets.  (Y/n) blushed furiously, pouting and folding her arms as she scowled and turned away from him.  Seeing the expression on her face just made him laugh even more and he only stopped when he saw her eyes start to become glassy.  She was so embarrassed and it was too fucking adorable.

 

He was at her side in an instant, smiling gently and taking her hands in his, kissing them gently.  Sans wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled into her hair, purring slightly and causing her to start giggling.

 

"sweetheart, don't listen to whatever anybody else says.  just be yerself.  you don't need to change for anybody." he whispered in her ear.

 

His soulmate stopped giggling then and smiled sadly.

 

"Don't I?"

 

"heh.  don't ever change (y/n).  be yourself.  'k?"

 

(Y/n) nodded and he gave her one more squeeze before letting her go.  She just gathered the plates up and began to wash them, Sans wrapping his arms around her waist in a gentle hug as she did.

 

Nothing more was said on the subject.  Nothing else needed to be said.  And if (y/n) appeared more thoughtful and quiet for the rest of the day, well, it's not like Sans noticed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

~~_**Time is running out...** _ ~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mum: stop buying cliffhangers! we only have so much money!  
> me: but...it's fun...


	33. Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans visits Alphys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a filler chapter than anything :/
> 
> Enjoy!

"how's it lookin' al?"

 

The lizard monster frowned and adjusted her glasses as she looked at the scans once again.  Sans had come to her and asked her to scan his soul, saying that he'd been suffering from some kind of pain.  Naturally she'd been intrigued and had wanted to help so had quickly agreed.  It was possible that the pains were probably just some kind of delayed reaction to the cracks healing and becoming scarred.  It was also possible that they could be reopening.

 

Because of this Alphys had asked Sans a series of questions.  What had he been doing recently?  Approximately when did the pains start?  Did there appear to be a trigger or time of day that the pains happened?  Did they happen at random or periodically?  If periodically, then how long was the time between the pains?  How bad were the pains on a scale of one to ten?

 

And so it went on.

 

Sans answered the questions patiently enough.  Through this they had managed to determine that the pains mostly occurred when (y/n) was around.  This was odd enough.  Usually the presence of a monster's soulmate would be able to soothe their soul, not cause it pain.  However, there was the case of the previous timelines, and the fact that both (y/n) and Sans' soul had started to crack when she refused to accept it as the truth.  This little titbit of information was noted and put to one side.  It could be crucial.

 

Besides, although most of the pains occurred when she WAS around, Sans had also noticed that they were starting to happen more often.  This would be when she wasn't there with him.  Whatever it was, (y/n)'s presence seemed to be attempting to soothe the pain when she was with him.  It probably didn't succeed completely because she wasn't a monster.  This was also noted.

 

There were so many variables, so many possibilities to consider that Alphys found her head spinning.  She'd had to focus on the noises from the video game that Undyne was playing (Sans didn't feel entirely comfortable in her lab and just asked if she could scan his soul there.  Besides, he hadn't hung out with them in a while, they could have fun after getting the serious part over with).

 

With everything that Sans had told her by answering her questions, she'd had plenty of information to go off of.  She should've been able to make a straight diagnosis once she looked at his soul!  But looking at the scans and the charts again proved to be completely useless.  The lizard monster had looked again and again.  She had dug through old textbooks, thinking she'd found something only to come up empty handed when comparing the notes to the scans.  She had thought back to everything that she had been taught about treating monster souls.

 

But she still couldn't find anything wrong with Sans' soul.

 

It was perfectly healthy!  Besides the scarred cracks in his soul, there was literally nothing wrong with it!  For a long time she stood scratching awkwardly at the scales behind the spines on her head as Sans shifted nervously.  Finally letting out a sigh of defeat, Alphys turned back to the skeleton.

 

"There isn't anything wrong with your soul, Sans."

 

The skeleton gaped incredulously.

 

"ya kiddin' me.  ya've got to be kiddin' me.  are ya sure?"

 

Alphys nodded.  Sans threw his arms over his sockets and groaned loudly, his agitation perfectly clear for all to see.  Undyne had raised an eyebrow as she paused the game, looking over silently.  Alphys shrugged in answer to her silent question as the skeleton grumbled and groaned before walking over to the couch and flopping down heavily next to the fish monster.

 

"fuckin' hurts like hell though..."

 

Undyne rolled her eyes and laughed.

 

"Stop being a pussy and man up!"

 

Sans growled at the fish monster.  Alphys saw the hostile looks the two were starting to throw at each other and knew that she would have to step in before things got out of hand.  Besides, there was something else she needed to address.  Something which might be the cause of Sans' problem.

 

"Don't kill my girlfriend Sans.  Undyne, stop harassing my patient."

 

The two huffed and turned away from each other.  Sans rubbed at his chest again when his soul gave a painful twinge.  The lizard monster raised an eyebrow, silently taking notes as she looked at the scans again.  Undyne had already gone back to playing Bloodborne while Alphys turned back to Sans.

 

"Sans, I can easily say that there is nothing wrong with your soul.  However, I have a theory that something might be up with (y/n)'s soul instead.  Your soul might be feeling echoes of it because your soulmates."

 

Sans blinked.  He hadn't thought of that.

 

"but...but she seems fine!  she isn't in any pain or anything!  she's perfectly fine!"

 

"Well of course she'll seem fine!  She's human Sans!  (Y/n) isn't as in tune with her soul as monsters are, she won't know if anything is even wrong with her soul!"

 

Sans flinched and began to bite at his phalanges anxiously.  All the time he was getting those pains, he never once thought that it could be something wrong with (y/n).  What if her soul had started cracking again?  What if it was even worse?!  What if she was dying?!  He couldn't lose her again!  Not now.  Not when he'd found her again.  His bones started rattling with his fear.  Alphys held up her claws to try and calm him.

 

"Sans!  Take it easy!  Calm down!  It might not be that bad.  Er, okay.  How about this?  You can invite (y/n) to the picnic we're having tomorrow.  We'll have food, play games, have some fun!  And then when we've all calmed down a little, we can scan (y/n)'s soul and make sure that it's okay.  Things will be alright.  Okay?"

 

The trembling skeleton looked down at Alphys.  Even Undyne was watching them now, yellow eye filling with concern, although who it was really directed at was a mystery.  The room had gone silent once the game had been paused and the only sound was the slight rattling coming from Sans' bones.  He forced his bones to still and began taking deep breaths.  He didn't even realise he was repeating the actions he guided (y/n) through when she was having a panic attack.  Finally he managed to clear his head, nodding.  Alphys and Undyne released the breath they were holding, relieved that Sans approved of the idea.

 

Now there was a plan.  He would invite (y/n) to the picnic they were all having to celebrate Frisk's birthday.  She was bound to come!  She loved the kid!  They were all going to have fun and then he and Alphys could sit her down, explain what had been going on and scan her soul.  If there wasn't anything wrong then great!  And if there was, well...they would cross that bridge when they got there.

 

Things were going to be okay.

 

 

* * *

 

 

~~_**This is not okay** _ ~~


	34. What Is This Feeling?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> meant to be a short chapter. slightly worried about this @_@

Sans had to admit that he was pretty nervous.  He didn't know why he was.  He was only going to invite (y/n) to the birthday picnic tomorrow!  But his soul couldn't stop stuttering nervously.  He didn't know what to do to calm it, nor did he know why it was acting this way.  The skeleton put it down to it possibly remembering when he first confessed about the timelines.  Yeah, that had to be it.  That was the kind of feeling he was getting now.  It had to be that or the fact that this was strangely reminiscent of him asking (y/n) out on a date for the first time....in the last timeline.

 

His soul had stuttered then as well, making him into such a nervous wreck that he'd almost completely embarrassed himself.  He'd had trouble getting the words out, so she had had to put the pieces together, asking if she had guessed correctly as he nodded shyly, skull bright blue as he blushed furiously.  His soul had calmed down when she smiled at him, quickly agreeing.  He had been so glad that she'd agreed that he didn't see the tree when he made to leave, completely walking into it.  He heard her giggling and was too embarrassed to look at her, teleporting immediately before sending her a quick text, simply saying "i meant to do that ;)".  Needless to say that the story had been told at the wedding, even if it had been slightly mortifying at the time.

 

He had that same feeling now standing outside her door, fist raised slightly to knock on the door.  He would've text her but he had wanted to invite her in person.  Made it more romantic.  Girls loved that romantic stuff, and she'd been watching an awful lot of that romantic girly stuff recently.  Eh, maybe it was a phase.  She'd go back to horror movie marathons in no time.

 

Either way, Sans had been standing outside for about ten minutes now.  Trying to bring it in himself to actually knock on the door.  But every time he worked up the courage, his soul would start fluttering nervously, to the point of being almost painful.  He wondered if he should mention it to Alphys as he waited once again for the feeling to die down.

 

Just as he raised his fist to try again, the door opened, a scowling Maya walking out as she shrugged on a jacket.  She stopped when she saw him and blinked, raising an eyebrow.  Sans began to splutter an answer in silent question but she held up a hand.

 

"Dude, I don't care why you're here.  I'm late enough as it is.  Just go in there and keep (y/n) entertained for a bit.  She's practically bouncing off the walls and I'm pretty sure it's only a matter of time before she sets the place on fire.  That happens, I'm relying on you to get her out."

 

Sans couldn't help but flinch at the offhanded comment.  It was obviously a jab at him not being able to save (y/n) in the previous timeline.  He'd presumed that it was all water under the bridge by now.  Apparently Maya (and possibly Liam) thought otherwise.  Not that he could really blame them.  He would've reacted the same way if Papyrus had been in that situation.

 

He didn't really get the chance to think any more about it before the door was pulled open, revealing (y/n) grinning excitedly.  Yikes.  Maya wasn't kidding.  He chuckled.  She was still so cute.  Even if she did look slightly manic right now.  His soul let out another little pang.  He'd grown so used to it by now that it was more of an annoyance by now.  If there was anything up with (y/n), she wasn't giving him any hints as to what it may be as she dragged him in.

 

"whoa, hold on there sweetheart!  what's got ya bouncing off the walls?"

 

She just shrugged sheepishly.

 

"I had a feeling you were coming to see me today.  Am I not allowed to be excited to see my boyfriend?"

 

Sans laughed and shook his head.  She was just too cute and he had no problem telling her that as he nuzzled her.  She giggled softly and stared into his eyes.

 

"I love you Sans."

 

His eyelights shrank and he froze.  She said it.  She had actually said it!  He had been wanting to tell her how much he loved her for so long.  But he had always held back, always been so afraid.  He didn't want to frighten her.  He didn't want to push her into anything she didn't want or anything she wasn't ready for.  She had wanted to go slow and he had agreed.

 

But now....

 

"i love you too sweetheart.  i love you so much it hurts sometimes."

 

He was purring loudly.  He couldn't control it, it was happening without him meaning to do so!  His aching soul that twinged with those sharp pains couldn't even distract him.  He had the biggest grin on his face right now, only mirrored by the grin his soulmate was wearing.  (Y/n) kissed him, Sans wasting no time in deepening the kiss, his phalanges trailing up softly until one hand rested on her hip possessively.  The other hand buried itself in (y/n)'s hair, twirling the strands between his fingers as his eyelights turned to little red hearts.

 

(Y/n) began to gently tug him upstairs, heading towards her room.  Sans didn't offer any resistance whatsoever.  He was still wearing that goofy grin, little heart eyelights still trained on his soulmate.  He only realised he was in her room when she closed the door behind them.

 

And once he lay her down on the bed and she started to pull off his clothes, Sans allowed his mind to go blank, too lost in the sensations of showing his mate how much he truly loved her to care about anything else.

 

What had he originally come here for?  Eh.  He could worry about it later.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Sans lay awake several hours later.

 

(Y/n) was still sleeping as he held her in his arms, stroking soft circles into the soft skin of her belly.  Their clothes were still in the same place as before; having been thrown across the room as each article of clothing had been pulled off.

 

He was happy.  He'd had plenty of sex before with plenty of women.  But never before had he had that kind of intimacy.  And he could tell that (y/n) enjoyed it too.  He didn't regret it.  Not once.  He loved her!  And she loved him!  He had made it clear that they could stop at any time.  But she hadn't wanted to stop.  She'd wanted to show him how much she loved him too.

 

...

 

So...why did his soul feel like it was tearing apart?  Why did he have the terrible feeling that he had done something wrong?

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

_**~~What have you done....?~~ ** _


	35. Tra la la

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it is. The long awaited chapter. Harder than it seems to do on a phone :P so sorry if there are any mistakes. 
> 
> In other news, Cookie is officially a year old now! Well, it was on the 16th. I would've uploaded this then, but life (work) got in the way lol. 
> 
> I also have a tumblr for this story now. Not much on there (besides reblogs lol). So come bother me 
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lizzie-tempest

Sans grinned.  Nothing could ruin this day.  He was in too much of a good mood.

 

The sun was shining.  The birds were singing.  Kids were laughing and playing in the streets.  Sans had had sex-

 

Oh yeah.  That was a thing.  (Y/n) had told him that she loved him last night, and then the two had sex.  And he didn't want to be biased or anything, but it was pretty amazing.  Way better than all the times he'd been with those one night stands and brief flings while in the Underground.  In fact, it was so amazing that Sans had had sex again that morning.

 

The fact that Maya had walked in on them doing the act was only slightly mortifying.  (Y/n) had just laughed when her sister shrieked, screaming about now being blind and scarred for life.  Sans had laughed with her once Maya started throwing their clothes at them to get dressed.

 

So now the two were on their way to Frisk's birthday picnic.  His sweetheart had also been in a good mood that morning, so when she had suggested taking a more scenic route (and longer one) he hadn't really complained.  This included taking the Riverperson's ferry.  They didn't tell the monster where they wanted to go.  Sans just told them to row around for a while, so they could relax and have a few romantic moments together before the inevitable chaos of the rest of his friends and family descended on the two.

 

(Y/n) had giggled as he'd held an arm out for her to help her into the boat, and the two just sat and cuddled while mumbling sweet nothings to each other, Sans purring every now and then and making his eyelights turn into hearts.

 

The human and skeleton laughed and cuddled and kissed, practically ignoring everything and everyone around them as the boat moved.  That was until the Riverperson spoke.

 

"Tra la la.... Not everything is as it seems.... Tra la la...."

 

(Y/n) blinked, an odd expression crossing her face for a second before vanishing behind a nervous smile.  Sans wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his sweetheart and pressing a toothy kiss to her hair.

 

"don't you worry about it, sweetheart.  they're always sayin' weird shit like that.  no one can ever understand what they mean."

 

(Y/n) laughed nervously, a little spooked.  Sans just rubbed her arm.  He wanted to reassure her that everything was okay.  It seemed to work because it didn't take long for her to relax back into his arms.  She kissed his jaw to thank him and he purred once more.

 

It didn't take much longer for the two to arrive at the park.  Well, they were as close to the park as they were going to get on the ferry.  In other words, they were only about ten minutes away.  Which suited Sans just fine.  He was still in a very cuddly mood and it just made him more cuddly when (y/n) clung to him.

 

She held onto his arm tightly.  He shrugged out of her grip and wrapped his arm around her instead, tucking her close to him.  He grinned as (y/n) blushed furiously.  He didn't care that monsters were staring at him in bewilderment.  He didn't care that humans were staring at them both in disgust and horror and pity (towards his mate).

 

(Y/n) was the only thing that mattered to him in that moment.  And as long as she was happy, he was happy too.  And judging by the blushes on both of their faces, they were both very happy.

 

As they entered through the gate, (y/n) finally managed to look away from his face in order to look for everyone.  One of her hands came up to shield her eyes from the sun as she peered around.  She finally spotted the group of monsters and the tiny human looking in their direction and waving frantically at them.  She giggled and tugged on Sans' hand to get him to look over so he would stop glaring at everyone staring at them.  As Sans turned to look, he raised a brow bone and smirked, chuckling as he took in the sight before him.

 

Naturally just one picnic blanket wouldn't have been big enough for their group.  So it appeared that everyone had decided to bring a blanket each and make some kind of huge patchwork blanket.  It looked surprisingly comfortable and was taking up quite a lot of space in the park, which gained them a lot of attention.  And that was just from Sans' friends.

 

There was another human there as well who he didn't know....and he didn't like that.  They could be anyone!  And he especially didn't like how friendly Papyrus was being with the woman with pink hair.  Oh no.  He did not like this at all.

 

(Y/n) seemed to know what he was thinking of because she squeezed his hand in a bid to offer some kind of support.  She smiled weakly when he looked her way.

 

"It'll be okay Sans."

 

He sighed before smiling.  He couldn't be in a bad mood today.  Not on Frisk's birthday.  There would be time for arguments later.  Besides, he couldn't judge these people based on the fact that they were humans.  He remembered how he hadn't exactly liked (y/n) when they had first bumped into each other.  Now that he knew they were soulmates, Sans couldn't imagine living his life without her in it.  He sincerely hoped that she felt the same.

 

The skeleton had been so lost in thought that he hadn't even noticed Frisk running up to them both.  They grinned up at him excitedly in obvious relief and happiness that he had appeared.  He couldn't help but feel a little bad.  With everyone finding out about the timelines and all the drama that had been going on, he had been practically neglecting the kid.  He was still angry about the resets.  Frisk knew that wasn't going to change.  But they had all agreed to try and put the past behind them.  Sans was the only one who hadn't.  Everyone knew that it was going to take him more time than everyone else.  But that was no excuse and he was determined to make sure the kid knew that he was still their friend.

 

With (y/n) gripping one of his hands and Frisk claiming the other as their own, Sans quickly found himself being pulled towards the picnic.  He was a little surprised to see that Asgore himself was there.  And was somehow managing to get along with Toriel.  The king of the monsters was usually so busy trying to convince the humans that monsters were harmless (despite their appearance) that he never had much time to spare.  He must've taken the day off especially for Frisk's birthday.  That in itself would've got him into Toriel's good books.  Frisk saw both goat monsters as their parents, and the fact that he had taken the time out of what must've been a busy schedule obviously meant a lot to the kid and Tori, if both of their beaming faces were anything to go by.  Asgore smirked as he approached.

 

"Sans.  It's good to see you are feeling better."

 

Sans couldn't help but chuckle nervously.  He had been acting as one of Asgore's guards while also helping him determine which humans genuinely wanted to get along with the monsters and which ones wanted to hurt them.  While he'd been in the process of nearly falling down, the king would've had to practically guess who were his allies.  He wouldn't have been able to wait to see if Sans got better.  Still, he was okay now.  So he would be able to go back to doing his job.

 

"hehe, feelin' better than i have in a while.  asgore, allow me to introduce (y/n)."

 

The skeleton tugged (y/n) to stand just in front of him, Asgore taking note of the fact that he kept one arm around her protectively.  The goat monster chuckled and held out his paw, instantly dwarfing the human's.  This just made him laugh more as he introduced himself.  It just seemed so funny to him.  The two before him seemed to be complete opposites.  And yet, it seemed completely normal.  It was like they were two puzzle pieces fitting perfectly together.

 

Yes, they were definitely soulmates.  Asgore was absolutely thrilled at this.  This was undeniable proof that humans and monsters could co-exist peacefully.  He couldn't wait to tell those stuffy politicians.  This was a huge step.  And the fact that Sans, who had hated humans except for Frisk, was in love with this human, was astounding!  He almost couldn't believe it!  Toriel was right.  Things were definitely going to get better with a peaceful approach.

 

"so, er, asgore.  who's the human talkin' to my bro?" Sans asked nervously, sweat dripping down his skull now that the hard part seemed to be over.

 

Asgore just laughed again and shook his head, his deep voice booming and causing people to look towards the group.  The king just ushered Sans and (y/n) in the direction of his brother as he carried on laughing.  Sans and (y/n) exchanged a quick glance, confusion clearly showing on each of their faces.

 

"I wonder what that was about?"

 

Sans just shrugged as he looked back at the king.  Toriel was trying to calm down the other goat monster by patting him on the back, amusement painted across her face as he tried to catch his breath.  She leaned towards him as he managed to mumble something.  The former queen quickly looked in Sans' direction, looked down at Asgore as if to ask if he was sure of something.  The king, who was currently bent over with his hands on his knees and wheezing from laughter, just nodded as tears began to form in the corners of his eyes.

 

And.....then they were both falling on the floor laughing, so much so that they had started bleating.  This in itself was funny enough to watch.  What stopped everyone else from laughing was that they didn't know what Toriel and Asgore were laughing at.  What on earth was so funny?

 

Sans decided to find out later.  Right now he wanted to talk to Papyrus.  And find out who the hell he was talking to.  The pink haired woman with the tattoos and piercings.  She looked suspicious as hell as she nodded along to whatever the taller skeleton was saying.

 

"- AND THEN I - OH!  SANS!  (Y/N)!  IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU SHOWED UP!" his brother reprimanded.

 

(Y/n) actually managed to look sheepish and she blushed furiously.  Sans just chuckled, grin as wide as a cheshire cat's as he shrugged nonchalantly.

 

"better late than never, eh boss?" he grinned.

 

Papyrus scowled and opened his mouth while raising his hand, obviously about to yell at him in front of everyone while posing dramatically.  But then he stopped.  He took a deep breath, and seemed to be trying to stop himself from becoming angry.  Sans couldn't help but wonder.  Usually Papyrus wouldn't hold back from yelling at him in front of everyone.  But judging by the woman behind his brother who was currently biting her lip to keep from laughing, she must've had something to do with it.  Papyrus began to speak again.

 

"BROTHER!  (Y/N)!  ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE YOU TO MY DEAREST SOULMATE!  IZZY!" he proclaimed proudly.

 

"Izzy", who had been in the middle of drinking some orange juice while Papyrus spoke, started choking on her drink.  (Y/N) immediately went to pat her on the back, Papyrus quickly following while looking very concerned.  They needn't have worried.  It turned out that Izzy had only started choking because she had started laughing at Papyrus' introduction.  The woman quickly began to dab at the corners of her eyes to stop tears of laughter from falling.  She didn't want her eyeliner and mascara to run.

 

"Hahaha, dude!  Papyrus!  We've met for coffee, like, three times!  Hahaha!"

 

Sans had frozen and one of his eyesockets twitched.  Papyrus....he had a soulmate?  A human soulmate?  How?  When?  How much of his brother's life had he missed?!

 

Sans tried to think back over the last few weeks, trying desperately to remember if Papyrus had mentioned this woman before.  But whenever he thought back, all he could think of was how much time he had been spending with his sweetheart.  Which made him feel a little guilty.  (Y/n) WAS important to him.  But he shouldn't neglect his family and friends just because he had been spending more time with his soulmate.  Especially not Papyrus.  Not after everything that had happened in the Underground.  Now that everyone knew the truth, he should've been spending more time with them.  Helping them to understand more and answering any other questions they had.

 

Instead he had practically isolated himself and only interacted with his mate.  Wow.  He really was an ass sometimes.

 

Papyrus had already introduced (y/n) to Izzy as Sans' mate.  She had laughed again but seemed to sober up when (y/n) stayed completely serious.  It occured to Sans that the pink haired woman hadn't realised that Papyrus had been serious about the whole soulmate thing.  His brother must not have properly explained everything, and of course she wouldn't know the truth.  She was a human!  She wouldn't be in tune with her soul!

 

But as Sans watched the two interact with each other, it became rather obvious.  The two seemed to balance each other out.  And Papyrus looked...happy.  Genuinely happy.  Like a love-struck puppy.

 

Stars, was that what HE looked like when he was with (y/n)?  Sans couldn’t even tell if he felt embarrassed.  Ah well.

 

It hit him then.  What Asgore and Toriel had been laughing at.  They had been laughing at how clueless Sans was.  They had caught on to the fact that this would be the first time he would even hear about Papyrus finding his soulmate.

 

He looked in their direction.  Yep, they were watching.  Paws covering their grins as they tried in vain to hide their laughter at his reaction.  He sent them a half-hearted glare before turning back to his brother.

 

Sans grinned as Papyrus watched him, clearly excited at being able to share his joyous news with his brother at long last.

 

“way to go bro.  where’d you meet her?” He might as well make an attempt at getting to know the woman.  It was only fair.  Papyrus had been more than understanding about (y/n) and the resets.  He owed his brother this.

 

The woman, Izzy, answered before Papyrus could even open his mouth.

 

“He was walking around in the middle of the night a few weeks ago.  I was getting beat up in the middle of an alleyway.  Skeletor here shows up and growls at them, they take off like the fucking hounds of hell are chasing them.  The next thing I know he’s following me home and demanding I go on a date with him!” she laughed.

 

(Y/n) started laughing, tears streaming from her eyes.  Sans blinked and turned his eye lights towards his brother, raising a brow bone in silent question.  The taller skeleton huffed dramatically and crossed his arms.  He turned his head away but not before Sans caught the growing red glow on Papyrus’ skull.

 

He was blushing.  One of the most feared monsters in the whole Underground was blushing.  And Sans was loving every moment of this.  He couldn’t help it.  He started laughing.  Not in an attempt to make fun of Papyrus.  No, he wouldn’t dare do that.  Even if their relationship had been getting better.  No.  He was laughing because demanding a date was just so.....like him.  It almost reminded him of the other timeline.  Papyrus was eccentric then as well.  It was almost like the old Papyrus had shone through in that moment.  And how could Sans not be happy about that?

 

Now that he thought about it, was it possible for any of them to become close to what they used to be?  He would have to look into that later.  For now he had other things to deal with.

 

“haha well then izzy.  i guess all i can say is welcome to the family.”

 

He grinned at Izzy as she nervously ran a hand through her rose coloured hair and shrugged.

 

“Yeah well.  We’re taking things slow.  Very slow.  Like so slow that a fucking snail will be overtaking us.”

 

Sans just chuckled darkly.  Izzy gulped; she could’ve sworn that Sans said something along the lines of “planned that with sweetheart originally”.  She looked towards (y/n) who giggled and swatted his arm, blushing.  Izzy grinned.  She knew what two people looked like when they’d had sex for the first time.

 

“ALPHYS!”

 

Everyone’s heads turned toward the source of the noise, a young woman with mousy brown hair and spectacles.  She was grinning and waving wildly in excitement.  Strangely enough, Gaster was hovering around her.  He smiled and nodded at Sans.  As Alphys went to greet the newcomer it became painfully obvious that no one else could see Gaster.  The skeleton monster had flinched when Alphys walked right past him and didn’t acknowledge him, the girl sending a brief sympathetic glance that Sans would have missed if he hadn’t been watching carefully.  This complete stranger was able to see Gaster when no one else could!  And Sans knew for a fact that they weren’t soulmates.  So why...?

 

Sans wasn’t given much time to wonder about the possibilities.  Alphys had brought the woman over and quickly introduced her.  “Kat” was a scientist alongside Alphys and had been working on a multiverse theory.  Which was a little alarming.  The dinosaur monster was quick to reassure everyone that Kat only had good intentions.  And after taking a quick look at her soul, Sans couldn’t help but agree.  Still, he was going to keep an eye socket on her, should she try anything suspicious.

 

He looked towards Gaster only to find him watching (y/n).  Gaster looked slightly horrified, even a little disgusted as he turned his gaze towards Sans, his expression turning dark with repressed anger.  Sans raised a brow bone in his direction and watched the monster as he leaned in towards Kat, murmuring something into her ear.  She too started watching (y/n), looking a little wary after what Gaster said.  Sans looked at (y/n) so he could see what was wrong.

 

She was currently chatting with Papyrus and Izzy, asking them about the time they had spent together so far, what they did on their dates etc.  There wasn’t anything wrong with her!  She looked as beautiful as she always did!  Okay, maybe he’s a little biased.  But he was her soulmate, he was allowed to think she’s the most beautiful person in the world.

 

When he had seen Gaster in the lab, the monster had made it more than clear that he approved of their relationship.  He wouldn’t have gone out of his way to completely change the timeline if he didn’t care a little.  So why did he seem so against it now?  He didn’t get any more time to dwell on it.

 

“Hello my darling Frisk!  You look fabulous as always!”

 

Oh great.  The tin can was here now.  Usually Sans would be a little more irritated that Mettaton was here.  But he supposed he should cut the robot some slack.  He DID help him with Valentine’s Day after all.  So he turned to greet the monster.  And his gaze instantly zeroed in on the smiling woman holding onto one of his hands.  The woman noticed him watching and grinned, bounding up to him with all the energy and grace of a puppy who had just started to learn to walk.  She immediately grabbed onto his hand and started shaking it excitedly.

 

“You must be Papyrus!  I’m Summer!  TonTon’s told me tons about you!  Ya don’t look as pointy as I thought ya would though,” she giggled.

 

Sans couldn’t help but be slightly bewildered.  And then he heard the laughter.  Looking around revealed that his friends had overheard what Summer said.  Even Papyrus was smirking at him.  (Y/n) was giggling hysterically as Sans sent her a look, silently pleading with her to stop laughing because this was so embarrassing –

 

“Summer, dear.  That is Sans; Papyrus’ brother.  THAT is Papyrus,” Mettaton pointed out gently.

 

The girl looked in the direction that Mettaton pointed, Papyrus nodding slightly as she recognised the description.  Summer looked back at Sans.  Then back to Papyrus.  She slowly let go of Sans’ hand and turned away, covering her face in her hands.

 

“Oh my god.  This is so embarrassing.  I haven’t been this embarrassed since my ma made me wear that hideous dress to prom!”

 

That did it.  Sans couldn’t help but laugh and watch the human’s face turn red.  Frisk tugged on his jacket.

 

“Be nice!” they scolded.

 

He just chuckled, watching as Mettaton reassured Summer and quickly gestured for Papyrus to come over.  The taller skeleton wasted no time at all.  While Summer was introducing herself again, Sans pulled the robot to one side.

 

“she’s a cute human and all, but er, who is she?  why is she here?”

 

Mettaton just smiled.  He gestured to (y/n).

 

“You brought your soulmate darling.  It’s only fair that I get to bring mine.”

 

Sans couldn’t help but grin.  He may not get along with Mettaton a lot, but soulmates were rare.  And this whole group was practically filled with those who had found their mates.  Asgore was right.  This really was something to be celebrated.

 

* * *

 

 

Everyone had finally retreated back to Toriel and Frisk’s house and were laughing about the days events.

 

Frisk, Undyne, (y/n), Kat and Summer had all started a water fight between them.  Water balloons had been thrown everywhere (as well as the occasional spear, courtesy of Undyne) and so everyone had ended up soaking wet.

 

Everything really went to hell when (y/n) threw a balloon in the hopes of hitting Summer, whose aim was surprisingly accurate.  However, she had ducked at the last second which resulted in the balloon hitting Izzy instead.

 

The fight had paused for a few seconds as Izzy woefully watched her makeup begin to run before she snapped her mirror closed and reached for a water balloon, a wicked grin crossing her face.  (Y/n) had shrieked and begun running, screaming for Sans to save her as she laughed.  So then both skeleton brothers got involved to “protect their mates”.

 

When the fight started to get a little out of hand (Undyne had grabbed Frisk instead of a balloon and launched them towards Kat, only for Sans to save them from colliding with the ground at the last minute), Toriel finally had enough and demanded that they sit and calm down for a few minutes.

 

All in all, it had been a pretty good day.

 

As everyone chatted amiably and began to relax, Alphys managed to catch Sans’ eye, pointing to (y/n) subtly while her head was turned.  He nodded.  Now that the day was over it was time to check on (y/n)’s soul.  He prayed that it was nothing, that he was just being paranoid as Alphys brought a scanner out of her bag.  It would’ve been a curious little device if it hadn’t been encased in what looked like the remains of one of the first Nintendo Gameboy consoles with some kind of antenna sticking out of the top.

 

(Y/n) blinked owlishly as she caught sight of the device, raising an eyebrow before looking back at Sans questioningly.  The skeleton grinned nervously and took her tiny hands into his.  He started rubbing soothing circles into her skin before he began speaking.

 

“listen sweetheart.  i know it’s gonna seem a little weird, but is it okay if we do a quick check on your soul?”

 

She flinched and practically recoiled from him.  Which was odd.  Not to mention it left Sans feeling more than a little hurt.  Did she not trust him to take care of her?  He quickly went to reassure her, hardly paying attention to the others who had become quiet, and started watching them.

 

“hey, hey.  it’s okay!  it doesn’t hurt or anything!  promise!  you won’t even feel it!”

 

She had started to shake when Sans took her in his arms and tried to soothe her.  It would have almost been funny if (y/n)’s reaction hadn’t been so odd.  She began to stammer nervously.

 

“It...It’s okay!  I don’t need my soul scanned!  I don’t want it scanned!”

 

Sans flinched.  He was afraid this might happen.  As he rubbed between her shoulder blades, he subtly looked at Alphys, flicking his eyes back to his mate to signal to the dinosaur monster to start the scan.  He would keep her distracted.

 

“i know it seems pretty scary, but it’s okay!  we just need to check on your soul and make sure everything’s okay.  see, the thing is...er...hmm.  well i’ve been getting these pains.  in my soul.  don’t worry!  i’m fine!”

 

This last part was addressed to the rest of the room as well.  Sans had refused to tell anyone besides Alphys (and Undyne).  And to say that some of the others looked concerned was putting it gently.  Even Gaster, in all of his ghostly presence, seemed concerned and appeared to be checking the skeleton’s soul for anything out of the ordinary.  Papyrus and Toriel had started speaking/shouting at him.  (Why didn’t he tell anyone sooner?  How long has this been going on?  Why is he having pains at all?  What does this have to do with y/n?).  Only a few of the things that Sans had managed to make out through all the shouting.  He decided to continue before it could escalate.

 

“let me finish!  fuck’s sake...i went to alphys and she checked it over yesterday.  thing is, she can’t find anything wrong.  which is good!  i guess.  but alphys thinks that they may be some kinda phantom pains?  did i get that right?”

 

He looked to Alphys who nodded encouragingly as she continued the scan.  Sans practically sighed in relief at getting it right.

 

“anyway, she thinks that maybe my soul is picking up something that’s up with your soul sweetheart.  she thinks that because we’re soulmates, i can pick up when something is up.  mainly because you can’t since you’re human and not really...in tune with your soul.  so we just wanna make sure it’s okay.”

 

Sans realised that he was rambling a bit.  But the longer that (y/n) stared at him in complete shock, the more he started to get nervous.

 

“Wha-what do you mean?  Soulmates?!  Are you kidding me?!”

 

(Y/n)’s voice had become slightly shrill near the end.  He couldn’t help but frown a little.  The whole room had gone completely silent.  Sans blinked as he looked at his mate.  She looked furious.  Which really confused him.  Why would she be angry?  (Y/n) knew that they were soulmates.  When he’d first told her, she had been mad.  But she thought he had been pranking her and taking advantage of her feelings.  Even so, the incident had set off a chain of events that had ultimately led to her accepting and feeling happy about being his soulmate.  She said that she loved him!  What had changed?

 

“you...never seemed to have a problem with it before...”

 

Her eyes widened slightly and she began to grow pale, eyes darting around the room.  Like she was looking for a way to escape...

 

“Sans!  Hold her down!” Alphys shouted.

 

Everything seemed to slow down.  (Y/n) tried to run.  Undyne summoned her spears while Alphys shouted.  Frisk cried out as Sans froze, completely bewildered that (y/n) had pushed him away.  Kat and Izzy tackled her before she reached the door and held her down.  Eventually Izzy held her arms while Kat sat on her back.  (Y/n) tried to tug herself out of their grip, snarling furiously as the look on her face turned feral.

 

Papyrus gestured for the two to let go as he used his blue magic to hold her down, summoning a few sharpened bones and keeping them aimed at the woman.  Everyone looked towards Alphys and hoped for an explanation.

 

“That’s not (y/n).”

 

Sans’ eye lights vanished.  How could it not be (y/n)?  Of course it was (y/n)!  She was just frightened...

 

“She’s a monster!  She has a monster soul and the scanner is picking up on the magic she’s using!”

 

He couldn’t believe it.  He wouldn’t believe it!  There’s no way that he wouldn’t know!  He would know...

 

_“you look different.  did you get a haircut?”_

 

_She’d been watching romance movies lately.  He prayed it was a phase, she usually hated romance movies._

 

_(Y/n) acting all domestic.  Cooking food, wearing cute little aprons.  She couldn’t even make toast._

 

_Eating with the fork in her left hand instead of the right..._

 

_“I love you Sans!”_

 

_Being tugged upstairs...clothes being thrown to the floor...having sex..._

 

Sans began to shake.  He teleported to the bathroom, not sure if he would make it by running.  He got there just in time as he started vomiting red magic.  The pains increased in intensity until all he could think about was the white hot pain searing at his soul.

 

He must’ve passed out at some point.  The next thing he could remember was feeling the cool tile of the bathroom floor against his skull.  It almost felt nice with how feverish he felt right now.  He put it down to the shock.  He was still trembling slightly, and he could feel a small hand rubbing his shoulders.  For a bizarre moment, he wondered if there had been a load.  This felt too much like the day after Halloween, when he had the nightmare and everything changed.  The headache was there.  But there was no deja vu.

 

He turned his head to look at who was behind him.  He was greeted by the concerned face of Mettaton’s human, face framed by strawberry blonde curls.  Toriel and Frisk hovered behind her, clearly worried.  Sans couldn’t help but turn his gaze towards the child.  He silently pleaded for them to tell him that it wasn’t true.  The heartbroken look on their face said it all.

 

Sans sobbed.  It wasn’t (y/n).  She wasn’t here.  And if his feeling was right, then this imposter had _replaced_ her for at least three months!  He didn’t even notice.  Stars, he didn’t realise that his real mate was gone!

 

He had slept with this monster.  Whoever it was, he had slept with them because he had thought they were (y/n).  He had cheated on his sweetheart!  Oh stars, she would never forgive him.  He didn’t think he would even forgive himself.  He felt so filthy.  Stars, what had he done?

 

Toriel seemed to catch on to where his train of thought was going.  She huffed before tugging him up gently, quietly informing him that he needed to see who it was.  Summer had stepped back to allow them room to get out.  Frisk tentatively reached for his bony hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

 

“Asgore managed to find out how long this has been going on for.  Apparently it’s been going on for the last few months.  Usually, Frisk would have tried to load to stop this from happening.  Unfortunately the last time they saved was this morning, before the picnic.” Toriel explained.  She kept her voice calm, authoritative.  Like a queen.

 

He tried to process what he’d just been told as he was gently led back to the living room.   _Months...this had been going on for months!  Where was his mate...?  Was she alright?_

 

_Was she still alive?_

 

Sans squashed down the wave of nausea and panic that threatened to overtake him at that thought.  He couldn’t bear the thought of (y/n) hurt and alone and scared of what would happen to her.  He prayed that wherever she was, she was still fighting, still being strong.  He hated the thought of his sweetheart, dead in a ditch somewhere.  He hated that he had not figured this out sooner.

 

All thoughts left his skull as the small group entered the living room, the imposter still being held down by Papyrus’ magic.  Sans felt himself grow cold as he stared at the monster in front of him.  He recognised them.  He knew who they...who _she_ was!  He felt himself start to feel sick once again.

 

The dark grey fur.  Tail twitching.  Whiskers.  And those eyes...those amber eyes that he had stared into so many times when they were still in the Underground.

 

“...kin....?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Editing this was a bitch -_-


End file.
